Over the past 10 years of construction, development and growth, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department (VPA), formerly the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center, has achieved many impressive achievements, excellently fulfilling its roles and tasks, contributing to the implementation of the Party and State's foreign policy in general, international integration and defense diplomacy in particular.
The development of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department is closely linked to the rapid growth of the Vietnamese Blue Beret force, with many examples of soldiers striving to overcome difficulties, carrying out noble international missions, becoming increasingly steadfast in their positions, and dedicating themselves to the common mission. The image of Vietnamese Blue Berets participating in peacekeeping, contributing to improving the lives of people in poor, war-torn African countries has become a source of inspiration, creating a positive effect, and having educational significance in noble ideals, appreciating the values of peace, love, responsibility and sharing with the community.
Despite being a newly established force, carrying out international missions far from the Fatherland, facing many difficulties and challenges, the Vietnamese force participating in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations has promoted the tradition of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) of "fulfilling every mission, overcoming every difficulty", making important contributions to the UN's reconstruction, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance missions, contributing to enhancing the prestige and position of Vietnam and the VPA in the international arena; making practical contributions to resolving security issues, protecting peace and stability in the region and the world; creating a favorable international environment for building and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.
Female soldiers of the Vietnam Engineering Corps with children in the Abyei area.
The Vietnamese force participating in UN peacekeeping operations has been constantly growing in quantity, with increasingly improved quality and efficiency. From the first two officers deployed in 2014 to South Sudan, to date, the Vietnam People's Army has sent more than 800 officers and professional soldiers as individuals and units to missions in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Abyei region and the UN headquarters. The Vietnamese Level 2 Field Hospital in South Sudan has become a prestigious healthcare address, with highly qualified, dedicated and devoted doctors and nurses, creating special marks in the area. In 2022, for the first time, Vietnam sent an engineering team to the Abyei region - a new area, creating a breakthrough for Vietnam in participating in the UN peacekeeping mission. Two engineering teams deployed to the Abyei region have been successfully completing their missions, changing the face of the war-torn region, and are worthy of being “messengers of peace”. In the mission’s capacity assessment tests, Vietnamese units have met the UN’s criteria and standards, with some criteria being rated as excellent.
Vietnam People's Army officers hold many different positions at missions, including many new positions such as: logistics officer, military supply officer, military-civilian coordination officer, engineering officer, communications officer... In the international working environment, they have demonstrated good qualifications and professional capacity. Some comrades were recommended by the UN to extend their terms of office, and received certificates of merit and letters of commendation from mission commanders and UN leaders.
During the course of performing their duties in the area, promoting the good qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers, the Vietnamese blue beret soldiers have built and maintained good relationships with the people as well as the local government, creating a lot of sympathy, trust and gratitude from them through practical support activities to help improve people's lives such as: Teaching, guiding farming, giving gifts, making school desks and chairs, building houses, building classrooms, drilling wells, donating generators, providing free medical examinations and medicine...
The new humane and humanitarian approach for the community of the Vietnam People's Army in participating in UN peacekeeping activities has been recognized by the mission commander and UN leaders as a good reference model, likened to a "new wind" in UN peacekeeping activities. In the Golden Book of the Vietnam Engineer Corps, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr, Acting Chief of Mission and Commander of the UNISFA Mission, highly appreciated the approach to local communities of the Vietnam Engineer Corps, which is closely linked to the tradition and identity of the "people's" army of the Vietnam People's Army. According to Major General Sawyerr, this is a community activity that all countries sending troops should follow because it is truly meaningful.
As an advisory body to the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense on participating in UN peacekeeping operations, directly directing and operating the Vietnam People's Army forces participating in these operations, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department has promptly made proposals that meet the requirements and practical tasks to develop a constantly growing force, along with many measures and initiatives to promote Vietnam's effective participation in UN peacekeeping operations. Vietnam always aims to meet the important goals of the United Nations in the process of participating in the peacekeeping mission, including ensuring a high proportion of female soldiers, exceeding the UN's expectations. The progress achieved by Vietnam in promoting women's participation in the UN peacekeeping mission as well as global cooperation to implement the Agenda on Women, Peace and Security in UN peacekeeping operations has been highly appreciated by countries and international organizations.
Vietnam Engineering Team presents gratitude houses to Abyei people. Photo provided by Vietnam Engineering Team No. 1
The Vietnam Peacekeeping Department has effectively coordinated with agencies and units throughout the military to do a good job of preparing high-quality personnel to participate in UN peacekeeping activities, creating a source of cadres who meet all the conditions to apply for positions not only at the UN headquarters but also towards applying for high-level command positions at mission headquarters, creating an important premise for Vietnam to have a role in the UN's strategic peacekeeping agency, participating in the work of formulating general peacekeeping policies, thereby participating more deeply in this field.
During its participation in UN peacekeeping operations, Vietnam has always received enthusiastic and valuable support from partners and friends in the region and around the world through bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, contributing to improving Vietnam's capacity to participate in peacekeeping operations and promoting international cooperation in the field of peacekeeping operations. Vietnam has signed 12 memorandums of understanding on peacekeeping operations with the UN, the European Union and partner countries; co-chaired many international training courses on peacekeeping operations, aiming to become a regional and international peacekeeping training center, successfully organizing large-scale multilateral and bilateral exercises, chairing international conferences on peacekeeping operations, etc.
In the context of the complicated international situation, increasing geopolitical competition and conflicts, the UN peacekeeping mission is increasingly facing many challenges, requiring the forces of the sending countries to meet higher mission requirements. The Party Committee and the command of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department determined that the mission of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department will therefore become increasingly difficult, requiring all cadres and officers of the unit to unite, promote collective intelligence, make continuous efforts to train political mettle, and improve professional qualifications to meet mission requirements.
Accordingly, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department continues to manage, command and operate the forces deployed to carry out tasks at the missions to ensure absolute safety and complete all assigned tasks; complete the dossier to propose the development of a Law on participation in the UN Peacekeeping Force; research, advise and propose on expanding the area, scope and forces participating in UN Peacekeeping activities, first of all applying for the position of Commander of the Military Police Force of the mission; research the possibility of deploying service dogs to protect the barracks of Vietnamese units in the area; continue to create a source of qualified and capable candidates to apply for positions at the UN headquarters and the command posts of the missions; strengthen international cooperation on UN Peacekeeping...
10 years is not a long time, but it can be affirmed that Vietnam has made great strides in participating in UN peacekeeping activities. The achievements and results will create a strong foundation and motivation for the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department to successfully lead and direct the activities of the Vietnamese Blue Berets, continue to successfully carry out the tasks assigned by the Party, State and Army, and be worthy of being the vanguard force of the Vietnam People's Army participating in international missions, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the world.
According to People's Army Newspaper
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