Second Vietnamese officer to work at United Nations headquarters

The event was chaired by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Defense Minister, Head of the Vietnam inter-sectorial working group for Vietnam’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations, and Head of Defense Ministry’s Steering Committee on Vietnam’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations. The meeting also saw the presence of Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien and Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh hands the certificate to officer Huong

Accordingly, Lieutenant Colonel Huong will serve as Planning Officer in the Office of Military Affairs under the Department of Peace Operations at the UN headquarters in New York. He used to work as a Training Staff Officer at United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and  a Military Observer at the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Speaking at the event, General Vinh expressed delight that Huong passed qualification rounds to become the second qualified Vietnamese military officer to work at the UN headquarters. Vinh affirmed that Lieutenant Colonel Huong’s honor has contributed to raising Vietnam’s stature in the international community.

Highlighting Huong’s preparations for the mission, the Deputy Defense Minister asked him to make the best use of his new position to enable Vietnam to better participate in UN peacekeeping activities.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh speaks at the event

For his part, Lieutenant Colonel Huong promised to promote self-studying and learn experiences from international colleagues to raise his competence to meet task requirements and strictly observe COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control regulations.

On the occasion, the Defense Ministry reviewed the task performance of nine Vietnamese peacekeepers who have completed their duties at MINUSCA and UNMISS. At the meeting, General Vinh lauded the officers for their accomplishments which was highly appreciated by the UN Mission in Central Africa and South Sudan.

Vinh emphasized that those achievements affirmed Vietnamese peacekeeping force’s competence and impressive progress. He wished that they would continue making more active contributions to the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, as well as sharing experience with Vietnamese officers who are about to be assigned to UN peacekeeping missions in the time to come.

Translated by Tran Hoai