Dr. Chien, Deputy Head of the Department of Surgery - Anesthesiology and Resuscitation at Military Hospital 105 under the General Department of Logistics and Technical Services, is serving at Vietnam’s Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 6 at the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
With the strength of a Vietnamese military doctor, Dr. Chien has fought illnesses, poverty, and danger in South Sudan with heart, wisdom, and remarkable resilience.
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Colonel, Doctor Nguyen Thi Chien |
Vietnamese woman at “eye of Africa’s storm”
South Sudan, a young nation plagued by instabilities, is one of the most challenging “flash points” for U.N. peacekeeping forces. With temperatures often soaring above 40 degree Celsius, scarce medical facilities, rampant diseases, malnourished children, and medicine shortages, it is a place of overwhelming hardships.
Yet, it is precisely here that Dr. Chien chose to undertake her noble international mission. Voluntarily leaving behind the comfort of a modern operating room in Vietnam, she packed her bag with the mindset of “wherever we are needed, military medics go. We get where it is hard.”
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Dr. Chien (left) before departing for the international mission |
Under the searing heat, without stable electricity or clean water, and lacking modern equipment, Dr. Chien and her team have handled hundreds of emergency and complex surgical cases. At times, without imaging machines or a blood for transfusion, she has relied on her extensive experience, professional expertise, and decisive actions to save lives minute-by-minute.
She has taken on the roles of a nurse, technician, storekeeper, and medical equipment manager, and done whatever is needed in order to preserve patients, regardless of their nationality, skin color, or language.
Notably, she is a source of inspiration in humanitarian outreach, including mobile clinics, provision of disease prevention skill for local residents, introduction about clean farming practices, and literacy classes for homeless children.
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Dr. Chien at her office in South Sudan |
These children, thin and poorly dressed, lighted up with joy when the Vietnamese doctor taught them how to write, count, and read. Each simple lesson is a seed of hope. In that makeshift classroom, she is sowing knowledge and nurturing the belief that literacy can open the door to a better future.
From healer’s heart to humanity’s cause
Dr. Chien is among the few highly specialized female military doctors to undertake such an international mission. Before deployment, she was a key figure in one of the most demanding surgical departments where pressure and precision are constant. Despite homesickness, material shortages, and cultural differences, she has proven that Vietnamese women are gentle yet resilient, brave and compassionate, even amidst a diverse and demanding multinational environment.
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Dr. Chien and her team perform a surgery in South Sudan |
Her contribution has been highly recognized. UNMISS Force Commander, Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, commended Vietnamese doctors during a U.N. medal presentation ceremony that Vietnamese doctors bring more than medical expertise, they embody peace, compassion, discipline, and trustworthiness within the international community. This is a well-earned recognition of the quiet sacrifice and immense contribution of those in white coats.
Today, Colonel, Doctor Chien wears two uniforms with pride: The white coat of medical ethics and the blue of peacekeeping. Her shining example deserves to be honored. More importantly, she is a living testament to the noble qualities of troops of the Vietnam’s People’s Army in international integration process. Through her work, she has strengthened Vietnam’s role, reputation, and responsibility on the world stage, advancing the global mission of peace and humanity.
Translated by Chung Anh