PANO - On June 28 (Hanoi time), a 124-member Vietnamese delegation, including military and police personnel, departed from Noi Bai Airport for Venezuela to assist in earthquake relief operations.

The delegation is led by Major General Pham Van Ty, Deputy Director of the Search and Rescue Department under the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army.

At noon on June 29 (local time), a Vietnam Airlines special flight carrying the delegation landed at Simon Bolivar International Airport, Maiquetia city, La Guaira state. Welcoming the delegation, Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Yvan Gil Pinto expressed deep gratitude to the Party, State, and Vietnamese people for their timely support during this tough time. On the same day, Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez also expressed her appreciation, highly valuing Vietnam’s deployment of a rescue team, which significantly bolstered local search and rescue operations.

Immediately upon arrival, the Vietnamese forces urgently commenced their work, hoping to quickly locate victims and join hands with the host country to overcome the disaster’s aftermath. The delegation divided into multiple teams, coordinating closely with local forces. In addition to conducting targeted search and rescue missions based on requests from victims’ families, the team established medical stations to provide emergency care and treatment for local residents.

The delegation is operating in La Guaira state, the hardest-hit area in the dual earthquake disaster. Rescue efforts face severe challenges, including extreme heat (39-40 degrees Celsius), a highly polluted environment with the stench of decomposition, and the constant threat of secondary collapses from the massive concrete debris scattered at the scene.

Overcoming all these difficulties, the delegation has successfully ensured their health and safety, and diligently executed their assigned tasks.

After four days of deployment, the Vietnam delegation has located and recovered 30 victims’ bodies from the rubble, handing them over to functional agencies. Their efforts have been met with profound gratitude from the local population.

On June 29 and 30, the delegation also handed over a humanitarian aid package to Venezuela, which included 35 tons of dry provisions, 60 medical kits, 2 tons of canned meat, 4 generators, 500 tents, 10 canvas houses, and 50,000 rolls of medical tape.

Among the delegation’s 124 members, the VPA dispatched 82 officers and soldiers, divided into four teams: the command section (11 personnel); the collapsed structure search and rescue engineering team (31 personnel); the military medical team (30 personnel); the search and rescue service dog team from the Border Guard’s School No.24 (eight service dogs and 10 handlers); along with military reporters.

This marks the third time the VPA has deployed forces overseas for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Many military personnel in this delegation previously participated in earthquake relief efforts in Turkey (2023) and Myanmar (2025), further affirming the international capacity and responsibility of the VPA. Notably, Major General Pham Van Ty has served as the head of the delegation in all three of these international relief missions.

Below are some photos in Venezuela.

Translated by Song Anh