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| Captain Vu Nhat Huong received the Medal for Merit in United Nations Peacekeeping, awarded by the Commander of the Military Force at the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission, Central African Republic in December 2022. (Photo: NVCC) |
Huong said that her destiny came from volunteering to participate in the mission of the Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic. Her family was worried, in the eyes of her friends it was reckless, but for Huong, it was a meaningful journey.
“Perhaps, I am lucky to work at the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department. Witnessing my predecessors participating in training programs and being ready to go to places with many difficulties and challenges has made me cherish my career plans,” Nhat Huong confided.
379 days of conquering challenges
With the desire to be challenged and conquered to understand more about her own limits, Nhat Huong participated in pre-deployment training programs at home and abroad, focusing on improving foreign languages and learning about the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission.
She said: “Survival skills courses are available for different job positions and after each course, we have to write a report, pass tests by Vietnamese or international experts, and receive a certificate of completion of the training course to be ready to go on missions.”
On December 4, 2021, Nhat Huong departed to take up her assignment as a Communications Officer of the Central African Republic Peacekeeping Mission. Here, she began her memorable “379-day” journey.
Some people say that the battlefield is not a place for “beauties”. It is true that for “beauties” like her, coming to a country with many political instabilities and conflicts will face many challenges. For a year, life is not just about missing home but also facing deprivation and danger. The blue beret soldiers must comply with the laws of the host country regarding curfew hours, gender laws, or contact with local people…
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Nhat Huong confided: “The lack of Internet, electricity, and water is normal in the Central African Republic. Here, Internet or a smartphone is also a luxury. Even though it is the capital, most of the roads are red dirt and high-rise buildings are rare. People still go barefoot, many children do not go to school…”.
However, Nhat Huong and her colleagues always encourage each other. As a woman, despite receiving many priorities, she always tries to overcome difficulties to stabilize her life away from home. While performing her duties, she has learned a lot of experience living and working in a multinational environment.
Nhat Huong’s work is closely linked to charity activities. She was moved every time she saw naked children, unfamiliar with toys. She was moved when she saw images of women who had been victims of sexual violence - their eyes were always filled with tears when someone listened and shared.
Those seemingly ordinary experiences made the young girl Nhat Huong feel more deeply the meaning of the work she was doing, the journey she was on. Being attached to the Central African land, even though it was only a short year, it was truly an interesting value and emotion that is not easy to have.
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| Nhat Huong with the children. (Photo: NVCC) |
Joy from simple things
Talking about her hard work, Nhat Huong said that because she has to move around a lot and her tasks are constantly changing, she thinks that every morning going to the office is like going to a shared house. Because that place gives her an enthusiastic working environment and atmosphere.
Nhat Huong's job requires her to travel to many places with the task of reporting at events, conferences, and charity programs. At the same time, she also participates in business trips accompanying the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Military Force of the Mission to visit and work with units.
Huong still remembers clearly when she distributed school supplies and clothes to children in orphanages and schools; seeing the happy faces of the children when receiving gifts, she is still moved. Perhaps, the thing that Huong feels most meaningful is participating in some programs to popularize sex education for teenage girls. When interacting with the children here, she realized how much she loves and cares for this land. Meaningful work can sometimes come from seemingly simple things like that.
Having spent 379 days on duty at the Mission, she has had many memorable challenges. Working in a multilingual, multinational environment. Due to the nature of her work, Nhat Huong often has to follow the Working Group to the Sub-regions in the provinces quite far from the capital, all travel must be by helicopter or specialized United Nations aircraft.
Nhat Huong shared that traveling to many places, mainly working outdoors, sometimes in bad weather, the plane suddenly descends to low altitudes, requiring good health to avoid being shaken. She had memorable experiences with days of working in the sun, sometimes over 40 degrees Celsius. Although it was hard, Huong was always ready, always smiling. Every trip for her was a precious experience.
For the first time, she understood that the lack of running water or electricity was normal, and that there was also a dangerous threat to the UN staff and the blue beret soldiers here, which was malaria. However, she only saw it as a challenge, a valuable experience to appreciate more what she had, to love peace more. The young girl's eyes were still bright, she said: "The first time I got to approach life in a new continent, where smiles are what help the local people and blue beret soldiers like us understand each other better, is very special."
Working in a special land, the work will not be smooth, the girl Vu Nhat Huong "wound up" herself to be ready to face all situations. From there, her work handling skills were also increased, more professional. "We carry out the task not to report personal achievements but for the flag. As a soldier, seriousness and discipline are always promoted. In the international environment, each officer comes from different countries, they bring a different culture. Therefore, even though I am a woman, I always remind myself to be ready for all challenges", Nhat Huong shared.
In her conversation with me, the young female officer always showed pride when talking about her work, especially when reporting the results she had achieved to the United Nations. According to her, it was not just the effort of an individual but of the whole team. With a proud look, Nhat Huong said: "The green beret soldiers have left many deep impressions not only on international colleagues but also on the local people about the peaceful and humane country of Vietnam."
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| Vu Nhat Huong had beautiful memories in the country and people of the Central African Republic. (Photo: NVCC) |
Memorable memories
When talking about Central Africa, Nhat Huong still feels nostalgic. As a woman, she believes that the “key” to success in any position is to have a strong mentality and always work for the country’s flag.
Huong said that in the first days of coming to Central Africa, the thing she was most confused about was foreign languages. When the local people used French as their main language, while most of her colleagues could use two or three different foreign languages, she was a bit overwhelmed and confused. “Therefore, we often joke that smiles are the most effective ‘diplomatic weapon’. Smiles have bridged cultures to bring them closer together,” Nhat Huong shared.
But those were just the first days, Nhat Huong integrated very quickly with international friends and colleagues. Talking about the secret, Huong said, before and after meeting new friends, through the Internet or talking with her colleagues in the same room, she always learns about the culture, people, especially the cuisine of that country.
“Having knowledge and understanding about your country is also a way to show respect for them. During my working experience in Central Africa, every day I worked, every step I took, every person I met was like a memory,” Huong confided.
But perhaps the most memorable memory for Nhat Huong was when the Central African Republic Working Group (term 2021-2022) organized the Mid-Autumn Festival for children at the Bangui Orphanage.
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| She and her colleagues give gifts to children. (Photo: NVCC) |
Preparations for the Mid-Autumn Festival were bustling, from program development to “transforming” objects into toys or using “homegrown” products. Everyone made an effort to breathe life into the lively ceremony. The children had a meaningful Mid-Autumn Festival.
Nhat Huong felt very happy when the children in Africa learned more about a new culture, about Cuoi, Hang… Moreover, after that warm and meaningful charity event, the blue beret soldiers were given some colored pictures by the children by the Director of the Children's Village. The young female officer said: "Giving is receiving, for me, that is an immeasurable feeling, the respect that the children there have for me".
When asked what she wants to inspire women in developing themselves and challenging themselves, Nhat Huong said that women should be strong, resilient women. Always be eager to contribute, eager to conquer, eager to experience and challenge themselves. At the same time, women should equip themselves with enough knowledge and a strong spirit so that no matter how sunny or difficult the land of Africa is, they can overcome it.
Nhat Huong confided: “The experiences in Africa have helped me become more mature in my thinking and more confident in my work. I want to thank those beautiful days of my youth…”.
| Captain Vu Nhat Huong, assistant to the International Cooperation Department/Vietnam Peacekeeping Department; former Communications Officer, Communications Department, United Nations Peacekeeping Mission, Central African Republic (MINUSCA) term 2021-2022. |
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