(Dan Tri) - "I had to drive the bike at a suitable distance, observe, and be ready to shield the Dutch Prime Minister, ensuring absolute safety in case of an incident," Lieutenant Colonel Quyen said.
Recently, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte spent two days in Vietnam, as part of a visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on the occasion of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands had many diplomatic programs in Hanoi such as: talks, witnessing the signing ceremony of a number of cooperation documents between the two countries; attending the High-Tech Business Forum, Green Economy Forum; visiting the Diplomatic Academy...
In particular, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh cycled through the streets of Phan Dinh Phung, Dien Bien Phu... The image of the two Prime Ministers happily "riding bicycles" on the beautiful streets of Hanoi left a strong impression of the peacefulness, friendliness and especially safety of Vietnam.
To have the above moments, behind the scenes are interesting stories, through the perspective of officers of the Ministry of Public Security's Guard Command.
First time protecting a guard moving by bicycle
At noon on November 2, as planned, after concluding the talks and attending the signing ceremony of the agreement between the two governments of Vietnam and the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte will visit the Ba Dinh Political Center area. He was particularly impressed with the autumn weather in Hanoi, so he suggested... cycling around.
The task of ensuring security and safety for the above activities is assigned to the Guard Command. Although it is a sideline program, the Command's leaders are fully aware of the significance and importance of the activity in promoting the historical and cultural space of Ba Dinh area; the image, country and people of Vietnam to international visitors.
The Guard Command coordinated with units under the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense and Hanoi Police to deploy a plan to protect the bicycle tours of the two Prime Ministers (Photo: Guard Command).
The Command's units received orders to concentrate forces and vehicles, proactively develop protection plans and strategies to ensure absolute safety for the cycling tour of the two Prime Ministers.
As the main unit, based on the protection plan of the Command and the specific program of activities of the delegation, the Department of Protection of Special Important Events and International Guests has developed its own plan for protecting outdoor activities, selecting security officers to approach, arranging forces, vehicles... in detail, carefully and safely.
Security forces check the technical safety of the vehicles used by the two Prime Ministers (Photo: Security Forces).
According to the plan, the visit to the Ba Dinh Political Center by Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh took place during the noon rush hour (11:15); the route was through busy streets with many types of vehicles and high traffic density; densely populated areas... On the other hand, this time was also the time when the 6th session of the 15th National Assembly was taking place.
In particular, the task of protecting visitors traveling by bicycle is unprecedented. This has posed many difficulties in the work of building and implementing protection plans for the security force.
Absolute safety guaranteed "in the air, on the ground, underground"
Upon receiving the information, the Guard Command proactively coordinated with relevant units to survey the route; calculate possible situations and handling plans.
The Command also coordinated with Hanoi City Police to develop a traffic diversion plan, from which to arrange forces, calculate in detail the arrangement of security vehicle formations, select uniforms, vehicles, and support tools to participate in protection.
In addition to ensuring absolute security, according to Lieutenant Colonel Do Thi Anh Cuc (Head of Technical Protection Department, Guard Command), the guard force must also maintain comfort for the guarded subjects; not affecting the normal activities of the people and the activities of the National Assembly.
"The Technical Security Department has coordinated with internal and external units to strictly inspect and control, ensuring absolute security and safety in the air, on the ground, and underground along the travel route of the Prime Ministers of the two countries," Lieutenant Colonel Anh Cuc shared.
Security forces check security and safety of the streets the Prime Minister will pass through (Photo: Guard Command).
As the officer chosen to protect the Dutch Prime Minister, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Manh Quyen (officer of the International Guest Protection Team) had to do a lot of research when assigned to protect Mr. Mark Rutte while he was cycling.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Quyen, the plan to protect a guarded subject when traveling by bicycle has different factors and requirements and is more difficult than when the guarded subject is on foot or using a car.
"I had to control my bike to keep a suitable distance, observe the surroundings, and be ready to shield the Dutch Prime Minister, ensuring absolute safety in case of an incident," Lieutenant Colonel Quyen said.
Despite facing the above difficulties, the security officer for Prime Minister Mark Rutte still completed his task excellently with his experience of protecting international guests participating in outdoor activities many times, ensuring two tasks at the same time: Safety and not obstructing the two Prime Ministers.
The cycling trip of the two Prime Ministers ended in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters (Photo: Thanh Dong).
According to the Guard Command, in addition to the above cycling activities, the Command is also responsible for ensuring security and safety throughout the Dutch Prime Minister's visit to Vietnam.
The Guard Command closely coordinated with the State Protocol Department (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to grasp the delegation's program of activities; directly worked with the advance delegation of the Royal Netherlands Diplomatic Security Service to unify contents related to protection work.
On that basis, the Command proactively coordinated with the military forces, units under the Ministry of Public Security, and Hanoi City Police to develop protection plans and options.
The Dutch Prime Minister's handshake and recognition
Before his visit in early November, Mr. Mark Rutte had previously visited Vietnam twice since he took office as Prime Minister of the Netherlands in 2010.
Like the previous two times, the third visit of the Dutch Prime Minister was a great success in both diplomatic and safety aspects. Before boarding the plane to return home, he took the time to warmly shake hands with each guard officer and express his sincere thanks.
The Dutch Prime Minister's third visit to Vietnam was a great success (Photo: Thanh Dong).
Talking about the coordination in performing the task of ensuring security and safety for the visit of the Dutch Prime Minister, Mr. Peter Arjan (staff of the Royal Netherlands Diplomatic Security Service) was particularly impressed.
"The Vietnamese Guard Force has been very professional, responsible, and enthusiastic in coordinating the implementation of protection work. We are very happy and confident to work with the Vietnamese Guard Force," Mr. Peter Arjan shared.
Before the Dutch Prime Minister boarded the plane, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Manh Quyen suddenly received a badge of the Royal Netherlands Diplomatic Security Service from a security officer of the neighboring country, along with a tight hug.
"Small souvenirs, sincere thanks, and warm handshakes... show the absolute respect and trust that the guards and the security forces of the neighboring country have for the Vietnamese Guard officers and soldiers, affirming the prestige of the force," Lieutenant Colonel Quyen shared.
Mr. Quyen emphasized that this is also a priceless spiritual gift, a motivation for each guard officer to continuously study, improve their qualifications, and confidently stand shoulder to shoulder with guard and security forces of countries around the world.
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