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| Fare thee well: Young soldiers board a bus after a send-off ceremony in HCM City. |
Viet Nam News
Around a month after Tết has for long been a time for many Vietnamese youth to bid farewell to their families and friends and sign up to serve the nation as members of the armed forces.
Across the country, thousands of young people leave their ordinary lives behind to don the soldier’s garb. For the next twenty-four months, they will receive training at various boot camps and later serve in the army, air force of navy.
This year, 4,700 youngsters from HCM City joined the armed services. Of these, 3,900 will receive training under Ministry of Defence and the remaining under the Ministry of Public Security.
More than 75% of this year’s trainees hold university, college and vocational degrees. Notably, five women from HCM City enlisted this year.
Military service in Việt Nam is compulsory for Vietnamese males between 18 and 25 (extended to 27 for those who applied for a delay to obtain higher education degrees) years of age.
The revised Law on Military Service that took effect on January 1 2016 opened the doors for Vietnamese women to join military service on a voluntary basis. — VNS
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| Off we go: Soldiers wave at the crowd gathered to see them off to boot camps in southern Bình Thuận Province. |
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| Adieu: A naval cadet says goodbye to his family. |
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| See you later, comrade: Friends take leave during a send-off ceremony this year in District 9, HCM City. |
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| Count us in: Among thousands of HCM City youth leaving their home to join the armed services this year were five young women. |
