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Maj Gen. Nguyen Hung Thang delivers the opening remarks. |
The event saw the presence of Major General Nguyen Hung Thang, Deputy Director and Chief of Staff of the General Department of Logistics and Head of the Steering Committee of the exercise; Major General Do Phuong Thuan, Second-in-Command of Military Region 3, deputy head of the steering committee of the exercise; Major General Nguyen Xuan Kien, Director of the Department of Military Medicine under the General Department of Logistics, head of the organizing panel of the exercise.
Senior Colonel Chen Chungming, Deputy Head of the Health Department under the Ministry of Logistic Security of the Central Military Commission of China, and Senior Colonel Pan Tao, Chinese military attaché to Vietnam also attended the event.
The two-day exercise aimed to improve command capability and coordination in medical relief and disease prevention and control as well as boost cooperation in international humanitarian assistance, between the Vietnam People’s Army and the People’s Liberation Army of China in general and between the two military medical forces in particular to meet requirements in the new situation.
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Vietnamese military medical personnel |
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and Chinese military medical personnel at the event |
In his opening remarks, General Thang highlighted the two countries’ COVID-19 prevention efforts and the two militaries’ high sense of responsibility and great contribution to the pandemic control.
General Thang also emphasized the two militaries’ effective and practical cooperative activities, sharing of expertise and provision of medical supplies.
The exercise, held after the success of the sixth Vietnam - China border defense friendship exchange, is part of the important defense diplomacy activities of the two countries in 2021 and opens up a chance for the two military medical forces to exchange expertise and improve quality and efficiency of treatment for troops and people and international cooperation in humanitarian assistance, search and rescue, and disaster relief.
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Maj. Gen. Wang Dazhong sends greetings to the event. |
Via a clip Major General Wang Dazhong, Deputy Minister of Logistic Security, sent greetings to the opening ceremony of the exercise and stressed that the militaries of Vietnam and China have attached great importance and have made thorough preparation for the exercise. He added that this practical activity will help boost the cooperative ties between the two militaries in the future.
The simulated scenario of the exercise was that an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 stroke a city of a foreign country. The earthquake, lasting for nearly an hour with many aftershocks in different locations, caused casualties and destroyed a series of public buildings, administrative offices, houses, and collapsed many bridges, among others. Responding to the U.N. call for urgent medical assistance, Vietnam and China sent its level-2 field hospitals to take the mission, make a joint command regulation, and perform humanitarian assistance and medical relief mission in the earthquake-hit city.
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The Chinese side presents medical supplies to Vietnam to fight COVID-19. |
During the exercise, the participating forces practiced deploying and operating the joint detachment command group, searching and rescuing and giving first aid to victims of a collapsed structure, receiving and treating a number of patients at level-two field hospitals run by military personnel of both countries, and preventing infectious diseases for locals.
In the framework of the exercise, the two military medical forces will have fact-finding trips and exchange experience to raise expertise and promote cooperation.
Translated by Mai Huong