Military personnel pose for a group photo ahead of the exchange in Hà Nội. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – The Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations under the Ministry of National Defence, in coordination with the New Zealand Embassy in Việt Nam, held an exchange in Hà Nội on Monday to share experience between the two countries on psychological support for military personnel participating in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.

Speaking at the event, Colonel Nguyễn Như Cảnh, Deputy Director of the department, said the programme focused on members of Engineering Unit Rotation 3 and Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 6, who recently completed a one-year mission in Abyei and South Sudan. Post-deployment psychological support, he noted, plays a vital role in helping the personnel reintegrate smoothly with their families, comrades, and communities after serving in the challenging conditions of Africa.

During the exchange, participants visited the department’s training centre. Experts from New Zealand shared their experience and engaged with members of the Vietnamese engineering and medical units to collect data and design a psychological support programme tailored for Vietnamese peacekeepers.

The event also served as an opportunity to explore the adaptation of the New Zealand Defence Force’s Psychological Support to Deployment Programme for application to Vietnam’s peacekeeping operations, as well as to develop psychological assistance measures for personnel working in conflict areas. Members of the Vietnamese units also exchanged lessons on mental and physical preparation for deployment and reintegration, and discussed experiences with the New Zealand side.

Group Captain Shauna Graham, New Zealand Defence Attaché to Việt Nam, expressed admiration for the professionalism and compassion shown by Vietnamese peacekeepers, and affirmed her country’s willingness to contribute to supporting them in future missions.

The exchange marked a practical contribution from New Zealand to Việt Nam’s efforts in establishing a comprehensive framework for psychological support throughout the entire peacekeeping process from training and preparation to deployment and reintegration. This comes as Việt Nam continues to expand its participation in UN peacekeeping operations in terms of scale, mission types, and areas of engagement.

In recent years, the two countries’ defence ministries have signed and implemented a memorandum of understanding on peacekeeping training cooperation. Moving forward, both sides will enhance exchanges of delegations and expertise, and jointly organise conferences, workshops, and forums on UN peacekeeping. VNA/VNS