Taking part in the UN peacekeeping operations is a task of importance of the whole country in general, the Military in particular – a step to realize the Party and State’s policies on defence international integration and diplomacy. It contributes to affirming Vietnam’s role, responsibility, prestige and status in maintaining peace and stability in the region and worldwide for the sake of cooperation and development.

Grounded on accurate forecasts about the trend for international integration and for the sake of a prerequisite to building and defending the Homeland in the new period, Vietnam has advocated the guidelines on participation in the UN peacekeeping operations. This is attributed to the process of careful, long-lasting, proactive study and preparation. Since 1993, Vietnam has started contributing finance to these operations. Since 2005, we have dispatched inter-sector working delegations to visit, study and take part in international training courses on peacekeeping operations in order to get prepared for the force deployment. It should be noted that in 2013, the Politburo ratified the Master Plan on Vietnam’s participation in the UN peacekeeping. Grounded on this Master Plan, the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) developed and submitted “the Project on the Vietnam People’s Army’s (VPA) participation in the UN peacekeeping operations in the 2014-2020 period and beyond” to the Government for approval. Besides, the MND established the MND’s Steering Board on participation in the UN peacekeeping operations (the Steering Board for short) and the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre, and deployed 2 military liaison officers to work in the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan. Vietnam’s deployment of forces to take part in the UN peacekeeping operations is a breakthrough in international integration during the process of national reform and demonstrates the consistency of the diplomatic line of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development as well as the foreign policy to diversify and multilateralize relations, proactively, actively integrate into the world, be a reliable partner and responsible member of the international community.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh at the deployment ceremony for Vietnam’s level-2 field hospital rotation 1 participating in the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan  (photo: Ho Dang)

After more than 4 years of participation in several UN peacekeeping missions, the Military has successfully fulfilled the assigned task. We have made elaborate preparations in legal, human, material terms with specific road maps. Individually, so far, we have dispatched about 30 cadres and officers (liaison officers, contingent owned equipment officers, information analysts, military observation officers) to 2 UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and Central Africa Republic, all of them have well fulfiled the assigned task and been recognized and highly appreciated by the UN and international community. In terms of unit component, we successfully deployed the Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 1 with 63 cadres and staff members to join the UN peacekeeping operations in Bentiu, South Sudan safely, which initially operated effectively.

During the operations, we have always followed the guidelines and goals set by the UN Charter as well as regulations of the international law and Vietnam’s law. We only take part in peacekeeping operations when the UN Security Council issues a Resolution, or a peace agreement is signed by parties. We only involve in operations for the sake of peace, humanity and construction, instead of coercion and combat operations. We use violence only for self-defence; all decisions on peacekeeping operations must abide by the principle of independence and self-reliance, match Vietnam’s interests and conditions, respect other countries’ independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and not interfere in their internal affairs. In the process, the VPA’s peacekeeping forces have observed the motto of being responsible, creative, proactively dealing with difficulties, and successfully fulfilling the assigned task. As a result, the VPA’s peacekeeping forces have affirmed their stuff, knowledge, responsibility and professional competence while earning the confidence and support from the UN and international community, contributing to raising the prestige and status of Vietnam and the VPA in the international arena.

Thanks to reality activities, the level of competence in foreign languages and the knowledge of peacekeeping of the VPA’s staff have been considerably improved. Currently, we are able to both train our peacekeeping forces and organize training courses on peacekeeping operations by an international yardstick. During the process of performing the task, the VPA’s peacekeeping forces have shown international friends, locals, and other countries’ peacekeeping forces the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”, making them more understand our country, military, tradition, culture, policy, and Vietnamese people’s stuff and wisdom.

In the upcoming time, the developments of the regional and global situations are still very complicated; the issues on internal contradiction, ethnicity, separatism, terrorism and armed conflict continue to happen in many places. Meanwhile, disputes over territories and natural resources and competition for influence are threatening the world’s peace and security. Therefore, in addition to efforts to seek solutions to peace by each country, the participation of the UN Security Council, particularly the UN peacekeeping forces, including the VPA’s peacekeeping forces, plays a pivotal role. To do so, we should focus on the following measures.

1. Military offices and units, particularly the forces in charge of UN peacekeeping mission should raise their awareness and responsibility towards the task performance. It should be aware that this is an important mission which our country assigns to the Military. Thus, the whole Military, particularly cadres, employees and soldiers tasked with peacekeeping should thoroughly grasp the Party and State’s guidelines and policies on defence international integration and diplomacy as well as the CMC’s Resolution 806-NQ/QUTW, dated December 31^st 2013, on expanding defence cooperation. At the same time, it is necessary to grasp the goals, requirements, guidelines and road maps set by the Project on the VPA’s participation in the UN peacekeeping operations in the 2014-2020 period and consider it as an important task of the Military and a central task of the VPA’s peacekeeping forces. To that end, these forces should grasp and flexibly, effectively employ international principles and agreements on the organization of the VPA’s peacekeeping forces and the operations between the peacekeeping forces of Vietnam and the UN. Moreover, it is important to heighten a sense of responsibility, actively study measures for the operations in accordance with the host country’s political regime, cultural characteristics, defence and security situation, locals’ wish and aspirations as well as the UN’s goals and requirements.

2. Enhancing defence cooperation in the peacekeeping field in order to improve the comprehensive strength of the Military. Against the backdrop of the integration trend and the multi-dimensional developments in politics, economy, defence and security across the globe, selecting the direction and path will decide the survival of each political party and regime as well as each country’s independence, unification and territorial integrity. Thus, we must remain steadfast in the policy on defence international integration and diplomacy to create opportunities for our country’s rapid, sustainable development. Besides, we need to unceasingly consolidate defence and security, enhance the comprehensive strength of the armed forces, with a focus on building a revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern People’s Army. To do so, importance should be attached to expanding defence cooperation in the peacekeeping field both multilaterally and bilaterally with countries, particularly major powers and regional and global peace organizations. It is necessary to take advantage of the process of performing peacekeeping mission to persuade the UN and partners to continue to give us assistance in finance and foreign language training. At the same time, we should take the opportunity to exchange experience, get access to advancement of military science to apply to improving the Military’s task performance in the conditions of a hi-tech war and responding to natural disasters and non-traditional security challenges. During the process of cooperation, we need to stay alert to correctly recognize partners and opponents and concentrate on working out strategic solutions to implementing the Party’s guidelines on “narrowing adversaries, expanding partners” to contribute to creating a solid posture of defence and security and maintaining peace and prosperity for the country.

3. Enhancing the effectiveness of operation of the VPA’s peacekeeping forces in the UN missions, meeting the task requirements and ensuring the safety in all operations. As these forces work in the international environment, they must have deep knowledge of peacekeeping and foreign languages. Meanwhile, the living and working conditions are difficult, particularly in places with complicated developments in defence and security as well as in war zones, which could threaten life the peacekeeping forces. Thus, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department (VPD) should closely cooperate with the Department of Foreign Relations (MND), the Institute for Defence International Relations, and relevant forces in organizing pre-deployment training courses. In this regard, attention should be paid to training foreign languages, equipping troops with skills in international conduct and basic knowledge of the UN peacekeeping operations, passing on experience, supplementing necessary points drawn from realities of operation of cadres’ previous tenure. At the same time, due regard should be paid to building up troops’ determination to deal with difficulties, closely assigning the task, and maintaining the order for reporting the task performance to the VPD and the Steering Board on a weekly, monthly, tenure basis. During the process, it is necessary to ensure smooth communications with the UN and our sections to serve the work of command, direction and coordination; to draw lessons and evaluate the task performance of each individual and unit, particularly the Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 1 in order to take timely measures for direction and improve the effectiveness of operations of the VPA’s peacekeeping forces.

4. Building comprehensively strong VPD and making it capable of giving advice to the MND’s Steering Board on professional issues. To meet the increasingly higher requirements set by defence diplomacy and cooperation in general, the UN peacekeeping operations in particular, as the Standing Organ of the MND’s Steering Board on participation in the UN peacekeeping mission, the VPD’s Party Committee and Command should implement various measures to build a comprehensively strong unit. First and foremost, significance should be attached to making a contingent of peacekeeping cadres and experts politically strong, expert in foreign languages and peacekeeping, and capable of quickly adapting to and effectively working in the international environment. It is important to give sound advice to the CMC, particularly the MND’s Steering Board on peacekeeping; to proactively cooperate with relevant offices in adjusting legal documents in accord with changes in international law and Vietnam’s law for the direction, implementation and state management of peacekeeping. Due attention should be paid to making all preparations for deploy other level-2 field hospitals and the Engineer Force to join the UN peacekeeping operations under the stated road map. Besides, it is essential to study, grasp and forecast security and political moves and developments as well as measures for the settlement of differences and conflicts among countries all over the world. Grounded on these studies and forecasts, it is vital to advise the MND’s Steering Board and the CMC on preparing projects, road maps and strategy for the Military’s participation in the UN peacekeeping operations after 2020.

The implementation of the above-mentioned measures represents the concretization and application of the “soft integration” method with a view to improving the synergy, raising Vietnam’s status and extending its influence on the international community, contributing to defending the Homeland from afar by peaceful means.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Member of the CMC, Deputy Minister of National Defence