On the first day of the event, the best men of the Vietnam Chemical Contingent competed with Armenian and Chinese rivals. With their iron will and high resolve, the Vietnamese troops had an encouraging result while ranking third, after China and Russia.
During the “Individual Race” stage, the three-member participating teams searched radioactive sources, conducted chemical reconnaissance and decontamination and maneuvered fields with different obstacles. This year, contents in the “reconnaissance vehicles conducting “Safe Environment” event were designed to evaluate operational capability of chemical officers in a simulated battlefield, while also testing swiftness, accuracy and thinking ability of the participants.
This year, nine of the 20 members of the chemical contingent of the Vietnam People’s Army were experienced officers who were carefully selected and trained before the games, while the remaining were new to the event. This is the first time that the VPA’s reconnaissance crew has joined the “Safe Environment,” so they faced a lot of difficulty in getting used to the weapons and equipment, contest regulations and harsh condition in Korla base.
Right the beginning of the first competition, delegates and local people witnessed the fierce competition between the first Vietnamese and Armenian reconnaissance vehicle crews. The Armenian crew had some advantages over the Vietnamese team in the chemical reconnaissance, but Sub-lieutenant Cao Van Dien, reconnaissance officer of the first crew of the Vietnamese team later sped up and won the event.
In the obstacles crossing, with professional competence, swiftness and iron will, the Vietnamese team led by non-commissioned Lieutenant Nguyen Tuan Dung sped up to overwhelm their Armenian rivals after being left behind by the team in the radioactive source searching and decontamination.
Encouraged by the good performance of the first crew, the second crew of the Vietnamese chemical contingent confidently started the competition against the Chinese team. With the indomitable spirit, the Vietnamese officers also completed the competition with good results.
Lieutenant Nguyen Van Thien, the team doctor, said that in this competition the Vietnamese chemical officers had to give 200% effort to complete the event. Some of the team members were exhausted and could not stand after finishing the games. He added that the medical team will develop a suitable healthcare plan to ensure that participating officers are in the best possible health for the shooting event on August 10 and relay race on August 12.
Vietnamese head Coach, Colonel Le Tuyen Giao said that the result of the Vietnamese team in the first competition day was encouraging as this is the first time that the Vietnamese chemical contingent has joined such a big international event. The result reflects the indomitable spirit, iron will and stance of the Vietnamese troops.
Below are some photos of the Vietnamese chemical team at the event.
    |
 |
|
Vietnamese team before the competition |
|
|
 |
|
The first crew of the chemical contingent of Vietnam preparing for the competition with Armenian rivals |
|
|
 |
|
Chemical team tried their best for the pride of the nation. |
Reported by Trung Kien-Van Nam (From China)
Translated by Tran Hoai