Senior Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến presents the deployment decisions to the officers. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of National Defence on Thursday presented deployment decisions to eight officers selected for United Nations peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and South Sudan (UNMISS).

The ceremony was presided over by Senior Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến, Deputy Minister of National Defence and head of Việt Nam's UN Peacekeeping Steering Committee.

Among the officers, six will join the MINUSCA mission. Lieutenant Colonel Bùi Thị Minh Nguyệt will serve as a training staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Huy Tuấn as a logistics staff officer, and Major Duy Văn Sơn as an operations officer.

Captain Lê Văn Chiến will be responsible for intelligence analysis, First Lieutenant Nguyễn Huyền Anh will oversee communications, and Senior Lieutenant Phùng Minh Cường will work as an intelligence staff officer.

Meanwhile, two officers will be deployed to the UNMISS mission: Major Lê Thị Ngọc Bích will serve as a staff officer, and Captain Vũ Thị Nguyệt Anh will take on the role of a military observer.

Speaking at the event, Senior Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến commended the officers, emphasising their roles as peace ambassadors, representing Việt Nam’s values and its international commitment.

He encouraged them to approach their missions with professionalism, self-reliance and a collaborative spirit, while maintaining personal safety in regions with complex security situations.

He also stressed the importance of teamwork, mutual support and adaptability in overcoming challenges and ensuring strong connections between the officers abroad and their counterparts in Việt Nam.

As the officers prepare to deploy just ahead of Việt Nam's Lunar New Year celebrations, Chiến called for arrangements to help them enjoy the holiday spirit, even while away from home. Plans include televised connections with the mission sites and traditional Tết celebrations at the UN peacekeeping bases.

The deployment also reflects Việt Nam’s growing focus on increasing female participation in peacekeeping missions, in alignment with the UN Security Council's gender balance strategy.

He emphasised the ongoing efforts to train and recruit more female personnel, and to expand Việt Nam's peacekeeping contributions through unit-based deployments and higher-quality training programmes.

Since its initial participation in UN peacekeeping, Việt Nam has deployed nearly 1,100 personnel to missions in Africa and at the UN headquarters.

According to Major General Phạm Mạnh Thắng, director of Việt Nam's Department of Peacekeeping Operations, preparations for the eight departing officers are nearly complete.

He also revealed plans to establish Engineering Unit No.4 and Level-2 Field Hospital No.7, which will be deployed later on in 2025. — VNS