Major Lê Vinh Hoàng (right) received a decision to undertake United Nations peacekeeping tasks at a ceremony in Hà Nội on October 10. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Major Lê Vinh Hoàng, of the Brigade 229 under the Engineer Corps, received a decision to undertake United Nations peacekeeping tasks at a ceremony held in Hà Nội on Friday.

According to the State President's decision, Hoàng will replace Captain Chu Tuấn Linh as a military observer at the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). He previously served a one-year term (2022–2023) at the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), where he worked as a military intelligence analysis officer and attended several UN peacekeeping training courses.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến, also head of the ministry's steering committee for the participation in UN peacekeeping operations, commended the Việt Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations and relevant units for their thorough preparations and personnel training for this important mission.

He expressed confidence that Hoàng will demonstrate strong determination and a high sense of responsibility to overcome challenges in the area of operation and successfully fulfil his assigned duties.

Chiến urged the officer to strictly observe the Party’s guidelines, the State’s laws, the Army’s discipline, and the UN’s and host country’s regulations, ensuring absolute safety throughout his mission. The Deputy Minister also asked him to uphold the traditions of the Việt Nam People’s Army, show professionalism, and actively learn from and cooperate with international colleagues.

With experience gained from his previous service at the MINUSCA mission, Chien expressed his belief that Hoàng will quickly adapt to his new assignment in South Sudan.

The Deputy Minister noted that Việt Nam’s Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 7 and Engineer Team Rotation 4 have recently departed for UN peacekeeping missions, further expanding the scope and quality of Việt Nam’s peacekeeping force. To date, more than 1,300 Vietnamese officers and professional soldiers have been deployed to UN missions in both individual and unit capacities.

He voiced his hope that more Vietnamese officers and units will continue to take part in peacekeeping activities in the future, including in senior positions at UN missions and headquarters, thereby enhancing Vietnam’s reputation and image in the eyes of the international community.

Expressing his pride and honour in being entrusted with the mission, officer Hoàng pledged to promote solidarity, both within his unit and with international colleagues, and to make every effort to fulfil the duties. — VNA/VNS