VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has had peacekeepers in the field with the United Nations participating in multinational humanitarian efforts in areas hit by civil war and political unrest to assist in restoring law and order and providing a calming effect.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Lieutenant.Gen.Vo Van Tuan.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Lieutenant. Gen. Vo Van Tuan recently visited the US where he led a high-level delegation discussing Vietnam’s peacekeeping operations.

On the occasion, General Tuan provides his insightful thoughts on the results of the visit.

Following are key excerpts from the interview:

Will you provide us your thoughts about the overall purpose and results of your visit to the US?

The Vietnam government decided to participate in UN peacekeeping missions approximately 10 years ago. In December 2013 it increased the size and scope of its efforts and officially established a Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre.

The US visit aimed to lay out a roadmap for the centre and specifically identify the types of peacekeeping efforts that Vietnam foresees itself participating in.

The centre was officially inaugurated in May, 2014 at a ceremony that was attended by many high-level dignitaries and officials, including UN Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Ameerah Haq.  

At the ceremony, the Vietnam Government dispatched Lieutenant Colonels Mac Duc Trong and Tran Nam Ngan to serve as liaison officers for a UN peacekeeping team in South Sudan.

During our visit we met with representatives from the UN Headquarters from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support (DFS) and worked with Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet and UN Under-Secretary-General for Field Support Ameerah Haq.

With unanimity, UN agencies representatives expressed appreciation for the Vietnam government’s desire to play a more active role in peacekeeping efforts and confidence in its ability to do so.

Vietnam considers these peacekeeping efforts as a major opportunity to demonstrate its commitment and dedication to the cause of peace to the world as well as an opportune occasion to show its respect for the UN Charter and international law, particularly the 2013 revised Constitution.

In Washington DC, we worked with officials from the US Department of Defense, including the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs and former Ambassador to Vietnam David Shear.

They collectively pledged to provide assistance to Vietnam in joining UN peacekeeping missions and expressed their sincere gratitude for the Vietnam government’s willingness and eagerness to participate.

We also talked with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Anne A. Witkowsky and representatives from the Joint Chiefs of Staff about peacekeeping tasks along with a number of exchanges with UN missions and the US Institute of Peace.

What have been Vietnam’s major contributions to UN peacekeeping operations?

We have participated in stabilizing areas hit by war and turmoil throughout the world and many humanitarian tasks like army medical services, sappers and landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) deactivation.

Vietnam has a national plan to set up a level 2 field hospital and a company of sappers based on UN guidelines and is scheduled to put them in proper fields to ensure safety for Vietnamese forces.

Whether the forces join UN missions in South Sudan has not yet been decided, but, we will conduct a survey in South Sudan and scrutinize the issue.

The Defence Ministry delegation will make a fact-finding tour of South Sudan in the near future. Can you tell us about the mission of the trip?

We will visit a level 2 field hospital of Cambodia and a unit of sappers of Japan and meet two Vietnamese liaison officers who have been working there since June.

As reported, the two officers are performing good tasks there. We got an approval for extending their working term for another six months.

Vietnam has registered with the UN to establish a level 2 field hospital and a company of sappers and pledged to realize specific contents towards signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding this matter with the UN in the so not distant future.