10th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnamese "blue beret" force

Exactly 10 years ago today (May 27, 2014), the Ministry of National Defense established the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center, the predecessor of the current Department of Peacekeeping.

Also on that day, the Ministry held a farewell ceremony for Lieutenant Colonel Tran Nam Ngan and Lieutenant Colonel Mac Duc Trong - the first two Vietnamese officers to depart for a United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

Lieutenant Colonel Mac Duc Trong (left) and Lieutenant Colonel Tran Nam Ngan took a photo with UN Deputy Secretary-General Ameerah Haq at the departure ceremony (Photo: VNA).

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Major General Hoang Kim Phung, the first Director of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, said that the important preparation step for the birth of the Vietnam peacekeeping force was when the Politburo issued Resolution 22 on International Integration on April 10, 2013.

Resolution 22 clearly stated that Vietnam will join multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations peacekeeping operations. This is also a strategic step for Vietnam in protecting the Fatherland "early, from afar".

On December 4, 2013, the Central Military Commission established a Working Group to prepare for the establishment of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center. On May 27, 2014, the Peacekeeping Center was officially established.

Vietnamese blue beret engineers participate in a rescue mission in Africa (Photo: Huu Khanh).

According to Major General, Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Quan, former Deputy Director of the Institute of Defense Strategy, an important milestone for the Vietnamese Blue Beret force came in November 2020, when the National Assembly passed a resolution on participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force with 100% of the delegates present in favor.

From sending 1-2 independent officers to work abroad, Vietnam now has a field hospital and a permanent engineering team abroad. In 10 years, 804 Vietnamese soldiers have gone on peacekeeping missions, of which 114 went as individuals.

Vietnamese military personnel are present at four UN missions including South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Abyei and the UN headquarters. There is also a group of officers at the European Union training mission.

The most outstanding among the Green Berets are the three officers who were selected to work at the United Nations (headquartered in New York). These are positions that require a very high level of professional competence.

Vietnamese blue beret engineers depart for a mission in Abyei, Africa (Photo: Manh Quan).

During their time working abroad, Vietnamese blue beret soldiers not only fulfilled their professional tasks but also actively interacted and built good relationships with peacekeeping forces of other countries; cared for and looked after the lives of local people through activities such as medical examination, medicine distribution, and construction of clean water stations...

In a congratulatory letter on the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang affirmed that the "blue beret" force has contributed to enhancing Vietnam's position and prestige in the international arena, actively contributing to the cause of building and firmly protecting the Fatherland.

Previously, the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations also held a ceremony to celebrate the 76th anniversary of United Nations Peacekeeping Day and 10 years of Vietnam's participation in peacekeeping activities under the chairmanship of Ambassador, Head of the Mission Dang Hoang Giang.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang affirmed that although the Vietnamese peacekeeping force is still relatively young, it has made many important and outstanding contributions to international peacekeeping activities over the past 10 years, and has been highly appreciated by United Nations leaders and local people.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/tron-10-nam-thanh-lap-luc-luong-mu-noi-xanh-viet-nam-20240526223752789.htm