51 blue beret soldiers successfully completed their mission in South Sudan and returned home.

Late on September 28, at Tan Son Nhat Airport (HCMC), the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department in coordination with Military Hospital 175 (Ministry of National Defense) held a welcoming ceremony for 51 medical soldiers of Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 who had just completed their mission and returned home, after more than a year of peacekeeping duty in South Sudan.

Welcoming the officers and soldiers of Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 from South Sudan were leaders of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, leaders of Military Hospital 175 and the Australian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Ty Huynh)

Welcoming the returning "blue beret" medical soldiers, stepping down from the C17 transport aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force, Colonel Mac Duc Trong, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, expressed his joy and appreciation for the fact that Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 had ensured absolute safety for people and excellently completed the tasks.

During nearly 15 months of duty, Vietnamese doctors and nurses have admitted, examined and treated nearly 2,400 patients, including UN staff and local residents. Among them, they have successfully treated many serious medical cases such as anaphylactic shock, malignant malaria, and complex accident injuries for soldiers from various countries.

Many serious and complicated cases were successfully and safely treated, and were praised by the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Medical Officer of the Mission, such as the microsurgical reattachment of the ulnar and radial nerve vessels in the forearm for a patient. In particular, Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 successfully organized the first scientific conference, with the participation of all medical centers in Bentiu, South Sudan (both civilian and military).

According to the leader of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 has successfully completed its mission, leaving a good impression on international friends and local people. (Photo: Ty Huynh)

Successfully ending a more than one-year term of service in South Sudan, 51 "blue beret" medical soldiers happily returned to the arms of their colleagues and relatives after a long time of performing duties far from their homeland.

Working in conditions of lacking medical supplies, degraded infrastructure and witnessing the difficult lives of the indigenous people in South Sudan due to the wave of violence that still occurs every day, Major, Doctor Do Quoc Cuong shared that he is very happy to safely return to his homeland and family.

This time, 51 out of 63 officers and soldiers who participated in Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 returned home. (Photo: Ty Huynh)

“During a year there, as an orthopedic surgeon, I always had the largest number of patients in the hospital. When I returned to my homeland, a peaceful country, I felt happy and very rich. Because in South Sudan, the country was still in civil war, the economy was still poor and the people were still very deprived and backward. When I returned to Vietnam, my country was peaceful and stable, I felt extremely happy,” said Major, Doctor Do Quoc Cuong.

The "blue beret" soldiers happily returned home in the loving arms of their colleagues and relatives after a long time on duty far from the homeland. (Photo: Ty Huynh)

It is known that Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 has 63 military doctors and nurses participating. Currently, 12 "blue beret" soldiers are still staying in South Sudan to do the handover work and will return home in the upcoming second batch.

Source: https://vov.vn/quan-su-quoc-phong/viet-nam/51-chien-si-mu-noi-xanh-hoan-thanh-xuat-sac-nhiem-vu-tai-nam-sudan-ve-nuoc-post1124834.vov