Attending the event were Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VNDPKO) Senior Colonel Pham Manh Thang, Director of Military Hospital 175 Major General Tran Quoc Viet, former VNDPKO Director Major General Hoang Kim Phung, former Military Hospital 175 Director Major General Nguyen Hong Son, members of L2FH Rotations 1 and 3 who excellently completed their peacekeeping duties.
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Leaders and former leaders of the VNDPKO and Military Hospital 175 attend the event. |
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Leaders of the L2FH Rotations 1 and 3 present flowers to the incumbent and former leaders of Military Hospital 175. |
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VNDPKO leaders present flowers to former commanding officers of the L2FH Rotations 1 and 3. |
On October 1, 2018, the 63-strong L2FH Rotation 1 departed for South Sudan, officially marking the first footsteps of the Vietnamese peacekeeping military medical force in the long noble international mission implementation journey.
The L2FH Rotation 1 was also the first unit of Vietnam taking on the U.N. peacekeeping duties. Therefore, October 1, 2018 went into the history of Vietnam as an important landmark in Vietnam’s journey of participating in U.N. peacekeeping operations.
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Delegates and members of the two field hospitals in a joint photo |
Reviewing that important landmark, Maj. Gen. Tran Quoc Viet was touched and expressed his honor to observe and accompany the L2FH Rotation 1 in its first hard days in South Sudan. He talked about his memories of those days. Thanks to his direction and encouragement, the field hospital staff gradually overcame difficulties and challenges, and promptly stabilized their lives to start their peacekeeping duties.
At the event, Gen. Viet shared a moving clip which contained memorable moments of the first send-off ceremony five years ago. In the clip, Vietnamese military staff on aircraft C17 Globemaster III of the Royal Australian Air Force showed high determination to undertake the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. For Gen. Viet and L2FH Rotation 1’s personnel, these were unforgettable moments in their lives.
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A photo exhibition of photographer Nguyen A on the sidelines of the get-together |
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First footsteps of Vietnamese military medical peacekeepers in South Sudan (Filed photo) |
Before the event, the participants offered incense to President Ho Chi Minh to express a token of gratitude to the state leader and to report on the Vietnamese peacekeepers’ achievements.
To celebrate this meaningful event, photographer Nguyen A held a photo exhibition showcasing over 60 photos of operations of Vietnam’s L2FHs.
Translated by Mai Huong