Vietnam's decision to send forces to participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations has important political significance for the period of deep international integration according to the correct policies and guidelines of the Party, State, Army and ministries and branches.

Over the past decade, the active and effective participation of the Vietnam People's Army in United Nations peacekeeping operations has contributed positively to enhancing Vietnam's position and role in the international arena. In that process, there has been an important contribution from the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department - a specialized agency under the Ministry of National Defense.

The 10-year journey of construction, development and growth, from the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center (2014) to the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department (from 2017 to present), has left many marks with significant progress, contributing to the country's foreign affairs in general and defense diplomacy in particular.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department's Traditional Day (May 27, 2014 - May 27, 2024), Vietnam News Agency reporters produced a series of articles "Looking back on a decade of participating in peacekeeping missions."

Lesson 1: Peacekeeping operations - A bright spot in multilateral relations

Peacekeeping operations are a special mechanism, first deployed by the United Nations Security Council in 1948, which has made an important contribution to ensuring security, ending conflicts, and building sustainable peace in dozens of countries.

Participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force demonstrates Vietnam's responsibility towards the international community. The 10-year journey marks Vietnam's strong growth in participating in United Nations peacekeeping activities, contributing to the noble humanitarian mission of building sustainable peace for the world, thereby receiving the attention and appreciation of the international community and media.

Long-term, active preparation process

On September 20, 1977, the United Nations - an organization that plays a central role in building international law, maintaining peace, preventing conflicts and responding to global challenges - officially admitted Vietnam as its 149th member state. Since 1996, Vietnam has begun to contribute funds to the United Nations' peacekeeping operations according to the percentage of GDP agreed upon by the United Nations and Vietnam.

During the years 2005-2012, the Party, Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs... issued, approved policies and organized many research and field survey trips to a number of United Nations peacekeeping missions; visited and learned from the models and experiences of a number of partner countries to prepare forces to participate in this activity.

On November 23, 2012, the Politburo approved the "Overall Plan on Vietnam's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations." On April 10, 2013, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 22-NQ/TW on international integration, which set out the direction: "Proactively and actively participate in multilateral institutions," "including participating in higher-level activities, such as United Nations peacekeeping operations...".

On May 27, 2014, the Ministry of National Defense held a ceremony to launch the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center. In June of the same year, Vietnam officially sent the first two military officers to work at the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan. To meet the increasing requirements of the mission, in November 2017, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center was reorganized into the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department; at the same time, in January 2018, the Inter-sectoral Working Group was transferred from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Ministry of National Defense to ensure concentration and unity in leadership and direction of mission implementation.

This policy continues to be specified in Resolution 806-NQ/QUTW of the Central Military Commission on International Integration and Defense Diplomacy, clearly stated in the 2019 Vietnam Defense White Paper: “… defending the country early and from afar by peaceful means; creating and strengthening trust in protecting national interests; ensuring equality and mutual benefit; maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for national development; combining national strength with the strength of the times, creating a comprehensive strength, enhancing the country's international position and independence and autonomy” and “Vietnam continues to make substantial contributions and expand the scale and scope of participation in United Nations peacekeeping activities."

Vietnam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations is the result of a long-term, active, proactive, urgent, thorough, synchronous and comprehensive preparation process in all aspects from international cooperation, building legal mechanisms, domestic policies to planning, organizing forces, training, purchasing equipment, ensuring logistics and techniques... These are complex and important contents, related to many agencies, units, departments, branches, organizations inside and outside the military, both domestically and internationally.

Along with the process of building a legal framework, we have conducted research, proposed and initially implemented policies to ensure that forces participating in UN peacekeeping operations are appropriate, creating favorable conditions for participating units and individuals to successfully complete assigned tasks, thereby enhancing the prestige of the country and the Vietnam People's Army in the international arena.

Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of National Defense, assessed that since its establishment, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center, now the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, has clearly defined three functions and tasks: Advising the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense on strategies for participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force. Directly directing and operating all preparations and deployment of peacekeeping forces at the United Nations and at missions. Assisting the Minister of National Defense in leading and directing the peacekeeping forces of the Vietnam People's Army and Vietnam at the United Nations and at missions.

"The Vietnam Peacekeeping Department has performed its role, functions and tasks very well, contributing to the implementation of the Party and State's foreign policy in general and defense foreign policy in particular, aiming to enhance the position of Vietnam and the Vietnam Army," Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien emphasized.

Important pillar in defense diplomacy

Participating in UN peacekeeping operations is one of the pillars of defense diplomacy, a bright spot in many aspects of multilateral relations of the Vietnam People's Army. In the past 10 years, despite many difficulties both subjective and objective, with the attention of the Party and State, Vietnam's UN peacekeeping operations have been carried out effectively.

According to Colonel Pham Manh Thang, Director of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, over the past decade, we have sent 804 officers and professional soldiers to deploy individually and as units, including 5 squads of the Level 2 Field Hospital deployed at the UNMISS mission (South Sudan); 2 squads of the Engineering Team deployed at the UNISFA mission (Abyei region) and 114 officers deployed individually at the United Nations Headquarters, the South Sudan mission, the Central African Republic, the Abyei region and the European Union training mission in the Central African Republic.

The units and officers of the Vietnam People's Army have successfully and excellently completed the tasks assigned by the United Nations and the Ministry of National Defense. Many officers, upon completing their term, were evaluated by the United Nations as having completed their tasks excellently and were awarded Certificates of Merit and Letters of Appreciation.

Notably, 100% of the officers of the Vietnam People's Army were awarded the Medal for the Cause of United Nations Peacekeeping by the commanders of missions representing the United Nations Security Council. The number of officers who have successfully completed their missions in Vietnam is much higher than the average of the United Nations and other countries sending troops.

According to the assessment of the mission commanders and United Nations agencies, the peacekeeping force of the Vietnam People's Army has made great efforts in carrying out assigned tasks, demonstrating professionalism, creativity, high discipline and leaving many good impressions on the mission commanders as well as international friends and colleagues.

The Vietnam People's Army forces participating in UN peacekeeping operations, especially units such as the Engineering Team in the Abyei region and the Level 2 Field Hospital in the Republic of South Sudan, have actively helped the local government and people, such as participating in road construction, renovating classrooms; organizing voluntary teaching; drilling water wells to donate to local residential areas and schools; organizing medical examinations and treatment, health consultations, and providing free medicine to people...

With outstanding results in volunteer work, the Vietnamese Engineer Team was highly appreciated by the UNISFA Mission Commander, local authorities and people of Abyei region for contributing to changing the face of the locality and the mission.

In addition, units and working groups at the missions always strictly comply with all regulations of the United Nations, perform well their duties and tasks in their assigned positions, contributing to affirming their responsibilities and enhancing the position and prestige of Vietnam in general and the Vietnam People's Army in particular in the international arena.

Along with that, the Vietnamese peacekeeping force also does a good job of propagating and promoting the image of Vietnamese blue beret soldiers as well as the image, tradition and noble qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" in the new era to international friends and colleagues, to compatriots at home and overseas Vietnamese.

The 10-year tradition that generations have devoted, built and nurtured is the belief, honor and pride of each officer and soldier of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department today. With its achievements, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department was honored to be awarded by the State the Third Class Fatherland Protection Medal (2019), the Second Class Fatherland Protection Medal (2021), and for many consecutive years, the Head of the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff has awarded the Emulation Flag in the Determination to Win Emulation Movement (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) and many other certificates of merit./.

Lesson 2: Strong commitment, long-term contribution

Lesson 3: The story of "first times"

Final article: The road to international training center