UN peacekeeping missions a prominent part of Việt Nam’s multilateral diplomacy

President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc with officers and doctors of Level-2 Field Hospitals Rotations 4 and the Engineering Unit Rotation 1 before they departed for Abyei and South Sudan in April. — VNA/VNS Photo 

HÀ NỘI — To uphold Việt Nam’s peace-loving traditions and implement the Party and State’s policies, in recent years the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) has sent officers and soldiers to participate in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions, which has been supported by local people and appreciated by the UN and the international community.

The spirit of dedication and responsibility of Vietnamese soldiers has helped spread a positive image of the country and the people of Việt Nam. 

President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has assessed that the engagement in UN peacekeeping activities over the past eight years has been a bright spot in the multilateral diplomacy of the country’s Party, State and army.

The establishment of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre and the send-off for the first two VPA officers to work as liaison officers at the UN Mission in South Sudan on May 27, 2014, marked the nation’s official participation in UN peacekeeping operations.

On November 13, 2020, the National Assembly passed Resolution No. 130/2020/QH14 on joining the UN peacekeeping force, which clearly stipulates the principles, competence and force deployment process, as well as guaranteed funding, policies and State management for the engagement in the UN peacekeeping force.

To date, Việt Nam has sent 76 individuals, including eight women, to work as liaison officers, staff officers, military observers, and intelligence analysis officers at the UN headquarters and its two missions in South Sudan (UNMISS), and the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Since 2020, the country has had four officers recruited to work at the Department of Peace Operations at the UN headquarters in New York and MINUSCA.

In 2018, Việt Nam officially sent the Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 1 to conduct peacekeeping operations in Bentiu, South Sudan.

To date, it has sent over 250 officers and doctors of the Level-2 Field Hospitals Rotations 1, 2, 3 and 4 to South Sudan.

After years of careful preparations, on November 17, 2021, Việt Nam sent Sapper Unit No. 1. This was the first time Việt Nam sent a sapper team to participate in the UN peacekeeping operations and was also the largest deployment ever, with 184 soldiers sent, including 21 women.

According to Major General Hoàng Kim Phụng, director of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, participating in UN peacekeeping activities is a major policy of the Politburo and Party Central Committee to help Việt Nam integrate into the world at a high level.

Looking to the future, Việt Nam’s policy is to focus on developing external affairs and defence cooperation in UN peacekeeping, attracting foreign resources to improve the capacity of the Vietnamese army in preparing and deploying other forces on UN peacekeeping missions. — VNS