Emotional return day of Vietnamese 'blue beret' soldiers

On the evening of September 28, 51 officers and soldiers of Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 (BVDC 2.5) returned home after completing their mission at the United Nations (UN) mission in Bentiu province, South Sudan.

Xúc động ngày trở về của chiến sĩ 'mũ nồi xanh' Việt Nam - Ảnh 1. — *Senior Lieutenant Nguyen The Nha holds the national flag as he steps off the plane to return to his homeland after 14 months of duty in Africa - Photo: DUYEN PHAN*

Happy when all the soldiers come back

Before the plane landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport (HCMC), relatives had prepared flowers to welcome the returning doctors and nurses. At around 9:30 p.m., a C17 transport aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force brought the "blue berets" of Field Hospital 2.5 back to Vietnam after more than a year of peacekeeping missions. The welcoming ceremony for the soldiers of Field Hospital 2.5 was organized by Military Hospital 175 in coordination with the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department. Also attending were the Defense Attaché of the Australian Embassy in Vietnam and relatives, family members, and comrades of the soldiers who had just completed their missions and returned home.

Xúc động ngày trở về của chiến sĩ 'mũ nồi xanh' Việt Nam - Ảnh 2. — *Major General Tran Quoc Viet - Director of Military Hospital 175 - congratulated the soldiers on completing their mission - Photo: DUYEN PHAN*

Speaking at the ceremony, Major General Tran Quoc Viet - Director of Military Hospital 175, said: "14 months ago, at this place, we saw you off to your missions. Today, I am very happy to welcome 51 comrades back this time, all of them have come and gone. We have 12 more comrades. We hope that in the near future, you will return home healthy and safe like today. On behalf of all the main units, I would like to thank you, comrades. In the past, you have made every effort to overcome all difficulties to complete your missions well."

Indescribable joy when returning home

In difficult and harsh conditions along with strict regulations of the United Nations, officers and soldiers of Field Hospital 2.5 have tried to overcome and excellently completed the task of ensuring medical care for the United Nations peacekeeping forces in the locality.

Xúc động ngày trở về của chiến sĩ “mũ nồi xanh” - Ảnh 3. — *Long-time colleagues reunited with indescribable joy - Photo: DUYEN PHAN*

In the joy of meeting his family again, Captain Hoang Trung Hieu shared: "I am used to being a soldier far from home, but this time I am very far from my homeland, I miss my family, my parents and even more, I miss my homeland where I was born and raised. What I remember most and am most deeply impressed with when I was in South Sudan is the people here, their lives are still too hard and lacking a lot". Standing among the group of relatives waiting to welcome the soldiers, Ms. Le Thi Minh Nguyet (living in Go Vap district) could not hide her joy: "Today standing here to welcome my husband back, my first feeling is pride in my husband, feeling happy when he returns safely and healthily after completing his duty to the country as well as the Field Hospital 2.5 assigned to him. In general, happiness is overwhelming". To prepare replacement forces, more than a week ago in Hanoi, the Department of Peacekeeping organized a farewell ceremony for 2 groups with a total of 247 personnel from the Level 2 Field Hospital No. 6 (BVDC 2.6) and the Engineering Team No. 3 (DCB No. 3) departing for South Sudan and the Abyei region in Africa to carry out international missions.