The Ministry of Defence handed over the State President’s decisions related tothe officers and assigned tasks to them at a function held in Hanoi on June 28.

The officers areplanned to leave Vietnam for South Sudan and Central African Republic in lateJune and early July.

Deputy Minister of Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, said itis an honour and a pride for Vietnamese officers to take on the peacekeepingmission.

He, however, reminded them that it is a tough task when the officers will work inthe UN’s multinational environment.

He said he hopes the officers will weather difficulties they would meet to successfullyaccomplish assigned tasks.

Vietnam first joined the UN peacekeeping missions in 2014 with theestablishment of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations of theMinistry of Defence and the dispatch of the first two officers to the UNPeacekeeping Mission in South Sudan.

After five years, Vietnam deployed 30 turns of officers to the UN’s twopeacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Central African Republic to work asliaison officers, military observers and staff officers.

The country deployedthe first level-2 field hospital with the 63-member staff to South Sudan, andis preparing for the deployment of the second level-2 field hospital and asapper company soon.-VNA