Festival for building of peaceful marine environment

The third Vietnam - China young coast guard officer exchange is a concrete example. The exchange is seen as the festival of making and building peaceful waters.

After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the third Vietnam - China young coast guard officer exchange was officially opened on August 22.

The Vietnamese coast guard receives the Chinese delegation of young coast guard officers on August 21, 2023, in Vietnam.

Talking to reporters of the People’s Army Newspaper, Lieutenant General Bui Quoc Oai, Political Commissar of the Vietnam Coast Guard Command, underlined that the exchange between the Vietnamese and Chinese young coast guard officers is part of a series of external affairs and international cooperation activities of the two coast guard forces, contributing to cultivating and preserving traditional solidarity and friendship between the two countries and militaries in general and the two coast guard forces in particular, thereby building a share marine environment of peace, stability, prosperity, cooperation and sustainable development.

Lt. Gen. Bui Quoc Oai's sharing reminded me of Senior Captain Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Assistant to the International Relations Department under the Vietnam Coast Guard Command, during my business trip to Coast Guard Region 1. Ms. Ha said that the Chinese officers are very disciplined, skillful, kind and smart.

At the first Vietnam - China young coast guard officer exchange in December 2017,  in Nanning city, Guangxi province, it rained heavily, wetting the military ceremonial uniforms of some Vietnamese officers, especially servicewomen. Suddenly, a man walked behind Ha and put windbreakers on her shoulders and other female officers. This deed made everyone moved. Afterward, Ms. Ha found out that he was Taiwang, an officer of the Staff Department of the Nanhai Division of the Chinese Coast Guard.

Regarding the content of the third Vietnam- China young coast guard officer exchange in 2023, Major General Vu Trung Kien, Second-in-Command in Charge of Law of the Vietnam Coast Guard Command, shared that the difference of the exchange this year is that young coast guard officers will pay courtesy calls on leaders of the General Department of Political Affairs of the Vietnam People’s Army

This is an occasion for both sides to boost cooperation, elevating ties between the two forces to greater heights in the coming years. The exchange contributes to showing the care of the leaders of the General Department of Political Affairs towards young coast guards as well as the coast guard force’s international cooperation and external activities and the military’s young coast guard exchange programs.

According to Major General Vu Trung Kien, the highlight of the third exchange is the gala night themed “Joining hands to protect marine environment.” During the event, the two countries’ young coast guard officers will participate in two games called “Friendship” and “Cooperation.” The games offer participants a chance to show their understanding of the two countries’ culture, history, coast guard forces, sea and oceans, and the role of youths in marine environment protection, among others.

In order to successfully organize the third Vietnam-China young coast guard officer exchange, since February this year, the Department of Foreign Relations, Department of Military Internal Security Protection, the General Department of Political Affairs and the Vietnam Coast Guard Command jointly held a training program for 56 officers, receptionists, liaison officers, Vietnam Coast Guard's delegation to give a better understanding of foreign receptionist work, external affairs and security protection.

Senior Colonel Bui Dai Hai, Deputy Political Chief of the Vietnam Coast Guard Command, receives and presents flowers to Senior Colonel Ganyu, Deputy Political Chief of the Chinese Coast Guard.

Chosen to take part in the third exchange, First Lieutenant Pham Xuan Hung, Assistant to the Department of International Relations of Coast Guard Region 4, has made thorough preparations for the eloquent contest at the gala night.

He promised to do his best to contribute to the success of the exchange, thereby realizing the common policy of the two parties, states and militaries and building waters of security, safety, peace and sustainability.

Sharing the same thought as First Lieutenant Pham Xuan Hung, Captain Trinh Thu Thao, a teacher of the Coast Guard Professional Training Center, exerted great efforts to study documents related to the exchange’s contents. According to Thao, the earth  temperatureincrease is causing ice to melt, making sea level rise.

In addition, extreme and abnormal weather, together with the increasing number of storms and heavy rains, has made people, especially those in coastal areas and on islands, suffer severe consequences. To cope with this issue, it is necessary to invest in financial resources. Moreover, countries worldwide, particularly young generations, including young coast guard officers, should join hands and be the vanguard forces in responding to climate change and building a peaceful marine environment.

The reality of the past years demonstrated that the Vietnamese coast guard force’s external activities have taken place with a variety of contents and forms. Among them, the Vietnam - China young coast guard officer exchange has gained practical outcomes.

The relations between the Vietnamese and Chinese coast guards have been continuously consolidated and developed strongly, especially since the two sides officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 27, 2016.

According to Major General Le Quang Dao, Commander of the Vietnam Coast Guard Command, in 2022, the Vietnam Coast Guard Command organized the first exchange program titled “Vietnam Coast Guards and friends” with the attendance of law enforcement forces of six countries, including the Chinese Coast Guard.

Earlier, as the supervisory agencies for the implementation of the Vietnam - China agreement on fishery cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin, the Vietnamese and Chinese coast guards held 19 joint fishery patrols in the gulf, organized conferences to review the agreement implementation 14 times.

After the agreement expired on June 30, 2020, up to now, Vietnam and China’s coast guard forces have conducted 6 joint patrols in the waters adjacent to the demarcation line of the Gulf of Tonkin.

It is believed that the third Vietnam-China young coast guard exchange will be concluded successfully, contributing to maintaining a shared marine environment of peace, stability and sustainable development.

Translated by Quynh Oanh