Senior Lieutenant Nguyễn Thị Thùy Dung during a training session. Photo qdnd.vn

HÀ NỘI — Two Special Forces soldiers were named among the military’s outstanding young faces in 2025 — a female counter-terrorism fighter and a naval officer united by resilience and an unyielding drive to serve.

Hardship as teacher

Senior Lieutenant Nguyễn Thị Thùy Dung, 31, of Company 8, Battalion 36, Brigade 113, Special Forces Command, grew up dreaming of military service despite her parents' reservations. After university, she submitted a volunteer enlistment application, becoming one of the few female counter-terrorism combat soldiers in the Special Forces Command.

Recalling her early days, Sr Lt Dung said the physical fitness drills had seemed punishing enough, but they were only the beginning of the challenges ahead. For a female combat soldier like herself, advancing to higher-level training was truly an ordeal.

There were baton drills demanding utmost concentration, as any loss of control could endanger herself and her comrades; demolition exercises in which bricks and tiles shattered against shins and arms, or bare feet trod on razor-sharp glass shards; and especially the three-spear vital-point drill, which was not merely bone-deep pain but a struggle against the human instinct of self-preservation.

To overcome these seemingly insurmountable barriers, Dung chose to take hardship as her teacher and the training ground as her anchor. She trained herself to be unyielding in the face of pain, learning to regulate her breathing and sharpen her focus to overcome fear.

"I understand that muscles may ache, but the spirit must never break. There were bleeding wounds, stinging drops of sweat and silent tears, but it was the care of my commanders and the warmth of comradeship that became my anchor through it all," Sr Lt Dung confided.

In her second year, she was selected for the counter-terrorism unit and trained in helicopter rappelling and tactical rope descents — disciplines long considered the exclusive preserve of male soldiers — mastering them after more than a month of training.

Dung said that when she first faced the rappelling exercise from a height of 20 metres, she shed tears and her legs felt as though they would buckle. But instead of surrendering to fear, she urged herself to persevere.

Rather than fixating on the danger, Dung focused solely on the precision of her technique. After more than a month of training, she had mastered the skills and techniques long considered the exclusive preserve of male combat soldiers.

Beyond physical training, she developed a Multi-Function Charging Unit that enables 12 batteries to be charged simultaneously, winning second prize at the 2024 Special Forces Command-level Youth Creativity Awards.

She competed in the 2021 International Army Games, where her team placed fourth, and from 2022 to 2024 won two silver and five bronze medals at military-wide championships. In 2025, she was selected for the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of National Day on September 2.

Over six years of service, Dung has received four Certificates of Merit from the Minister of National Defence, the title of All-Army Emulation Soldier in 2024, and recognition as Promising Young Face of the Military in 2024, among numerous other commendations.

Early this year, she received orders to begin airborne parachute counter-terrorism training.

"A new journey is opening up, a new frontier I must conquer. I am determined to conquer new heights, to affirm the willpower and resilience of a female Special Forces combat soldier, and to help elevate the image of Special Forces youth and military youth to a new level," said the "steel flower" of the Special Forces.

Major Phạm Thế Tân. Photo qdnd.vn

Forged at sea

Major Phạm Thế Tân, 32, Commander of Counter-Terrorism Company 12, Naval Special Forces Brigade 5, has participated in 12 field research, training and live-fire deployments, carrying out missions more than 50 times across the Trường Sa archipelago, DK1 platform stations and other maritime zones. Some deployments lasted up to four months in harsh conditions.

Specialised training, including long-distance open-sea swimming while towing equipment over 20–25 kilometres and 24-hour ocean survival drifts, has tested his physical and mental limits.

He has also taken part in counter-terrorism and hostage rescue drills in Đà Nẵng, sovereignty defence exercises at Phú Quý and maritime-island combat exercises in Cam Ranh, consistently demonstrating steadiness in command and flexibility in the field.

His mark is also evident in large-scale exercises, where he has consistently demonstrated steady command, flexibility in handling situations and a strong sense of responsibility.

Beyond professional expertise, Maj Tân has excelled in military sports and scientific research. From 2021 to the present, he has achieved numerous outstanding results and received commendations at various levels.

Highlights include a gold medal at the 2022 All-Army Unarmed Combat Championship for armed forces martial arts clubs; a bronze medal at the 2023 All-Army Boxing Championship and an A-level prize at the Special Forces Command-level Youth Creativity Awards; and in 2024, selection for the sports team competing at the Armed Forces Sports Championship, where his team won overall first place and he personally claimed an individual gold medal in unarmed combat.

In recognition of these achievements, for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024) Tân received a Certificate of Merit from the Director of the General Department of Politics of the Việt Nam People's Army.

In 2025, he successfully participated in the maritime-island combat exercise BD-25 and parachute training, receiving a Certificate of Merit from the Minister of National Defence, the title of All-Army Emulation Soldier, and certificates of merit from the Special Forces Command.

The title of Promising Young Face of the Military in 2025 recognises not only Tân’s efforts but also a generation of young officers working tirelessly to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and peace with unwavering commitment. VNS