Officers from Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation No.6 and Engineering Unit No.3 prepare to depart for their UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Abyei. — VNA/VNS Photo

CANBERRA — Việt Nam is stepping up its commitment to United Nations peacekeeping operations, with new goals to increase female participation and deepen ties with key international partners.

During an official visit to Australia from July 26 to August 2, a delegation from the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, led by Major General Phạm Mạnh Thắng, held talks with Australian defence officials in Canberra.

The two sides reviewed ongoing cooperation and signed a three-year action plan (2025–2027) to strengthen their partnership in peacekeeping.

Speaking at the meeting, Major General Thắng highlighted Việt Nam’s growing role in multilateral defence and security efforts, reaffirming that Việt Nam sees peacekeeping as a mark of its responsibility as a UN member.

A key development came in June, when the Vietnamese National Assembly passed the Law on Peacekeeping Operations, creating a formal legal framework to support the country’s increasing involvement in peacekeeping missions.

Việt Nam first joined UN peacekeeping in 2014 by sending individual officers, and later expanded to deploy full military units. Since then, approximately 1,100 Vietnamese personnel have served in missions abroad.

Notably, women have made up 16.6 per cent of these deployments – a rate significantly higher than the global average.

"By the end of 2025, we’re targeting 18 per cent female participation in unit deployments and 20 per cent for individual deployments," said Major General Thắng.

International cooperation remains a cornerstone of Việt Nam’s peacekeeping strategy. The country has signed peacekeeping agreements with 10 countries, including four permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Australia is the only nation to sign a government-level partnership agreement with Việt Nam, and is considered one of its most important partners in this field.

Under the new three-year plan, Việt Nam and Australia will focus on practical cooperation in several key areas: mental health and force protection training, logistics, search and rescue operations and multilateral peacekeeping exercises.

Việt Nam is also working with the UN to gain official recognition for its United Nations Staff Officers Course training programme and has asked for Australia’s support in this effort.

Australian defence official Bernard Philip welcomed Việt Nam’s increasingly active role in peacekeeping missions and expressed confidence in the growing, results-focused cooperation between the two nations.

Both sides also agreed to expand activities under the Women, Peace and Security agenda and to fast-track UN accreditation for Việt Nam’s training programmes. — VNS