Returning to Abyei
Before departure, each service member had their own thoughts and personal story, but all shared the honor and pride of representing the country and the Viet Nam People’s Army in U.N. peacekeeping operations.
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Non-commissioned Captain Tran Yen Linh |
For non-commissioned Major Phung Thi Phuong, a nurse at the L1FH attached to the Engineering Company Rotation 5, this will be her second deployment to Abyei. Having completed her mission after serving with the Engineering Company Rotation 3 a year earlier, she volunteered to return to the challenging region. She hoped to continue making a small contribution by taking part in activities organized by her unit to support local people. She said Vietnamese female peacekeepers in Abyei had demonstrated their determination and resilience in overcoming difficulties and actively contributing to the common mission, leaving a positive impression on international friends and colleagues.
Non-commissioned Captain Tran Yen Linh from Ca Mau is also undertaking her second U.N. peacekeeping mission. Experience from her previous deployment has given her greater confidence for her second mission as part of the Engineering Company Rotation 5.
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Captain Tran Duc Hoan and his fiancée |
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Major Nguyen Van Linh and his wife |
Months of professional training in military medicine, aeromedical evacuation and infectious disease prevention and control have equipped her with valuable skills for the mission.
She said that people in conflict-affected Abyei continue to face many difficulties. Therefore, she and her comrades will continue the charitable and humanitarian activities to help improve local people's lives.
Putting personal happiness on hold
Among the blue berets departing this time is Captain, Dr. Tran Duc Hoan, who has put his personal happiness on hold to undertake the mission entrusted to him by the Party, State and military. He postponed plans to hold his wedding early next year to travel to South Sudan as part of L2FH Rotation 8.
Trinh Thi Huyen My, Capt. Hoan’s fiancée, said she understood both his work and the honor and pride he felt in undertaking this important international mission. She encouraged him to set off with peace of mind, while she and his family would provide a strong support system at home.
Receiving words of encouragement from his wife at the departure ceremony, Major Nguyen Van Linh, Political Commissar of the Engineering Company Rotation 5, said he was deeply moved. In addition to his wife's wholehearted support for his participation in the U.N. peacekeeping mission, his second son, a fourth-grade student, is proud that his father is a peacekeeper. That also gives him peace of mind and confidence as he begins his new mission.
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Senior Captain Nguyen The Dat with his wife and daughter |
His wife, Nguyen Thi Ha, gave him a badge bearing the national flag, wishing him to remain confident in the support of his family back home. She wished her husband and his comrades good health and success in their mission and hoped they would bring the positive values of Vietnamese soldiers to international friends.
The story of Senior Captain Nguyen The Dat, a diagnostic imaging doctor at L2FH Rotation 8, is another touching example of the quiet efforts and determination of blue beret officer to overcome personal circumstances and fulfill their duties far from the homeland.
This is his first U.N. peacekeeping mission. He is leaving while his wife is seven months pregnant with their second child, and their first daughter is only three years old. He has entrusted his family to relatives and comrades, hoping to receive the good news that both mother and baby are safe. His wife simply told him to stay safe, have good health and focus on his mission, assuring him that she and their children would always be his strong support at home.
Among those departing was also non-commissioned First Lieutenant Leng Van An, a Nung ethnic man from Sin Cheng commune, Lao Cai province. Following the tradition of his grandfather, a former military veteran, Leng Van An is joining L2FH Rotation 8, where he will be responsible for logistics and supplies. In his backpack, he carries a photograph of his wife and their eight-month-old daughter, a small personal item that provides a strong source of emotional support for the peacekeeper as he embarks on his first mission far from his homeland.
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Non-commissioned First Lieutenant Leng Van An and his wife at the ceremony |
With the words of encouragement shared at the departure ceremony, the blue beret officers embarked on a new journey with pride and strong determination to successfully fulfill their international mission. Behind them are always the Fatherland, the trust placed in them and a steadfast home front waiting to welcome them back.
Translated by Quynh Oanh