Vietnam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations holds great international humanitarian significance and helps promote its image as a responsible member of the international community. 

The level-2 field hospital's doctors set off for South Sudan on October 1.

Four years after its first deployment of forces to UN peacekeeping operations in 2014, Vietnam has dispatched 27 batches of officers, including a female, to South Sudan and the Central African Republic to work as liaison officers, military observers and staff officers. 

Currently, eight Vietnamese officers are part of UN missions. 

The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence has set up two units ready for UN peacekeeping operations - an engineer corp and a level-2 field hospital. 

Under the approval of the UN, the level-2 field hospital set off for South Sudan on October 1. 

At the same time, Vietnam is making necessary preparations for the second level-2 field hospital and the engineer corp, making them ready for UN peacekeeping missions. 

In June 2018, the UN recognised the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations as one of four international training centres in the region and agreed to carry out training under the three-party partnership (comprising Vietnam, the UN and a partner country). 

The selection of Vietnam as a training venue for UN peacekeeping forces in Southeast Asia reflects the UN's appreciation of Vietnam's commitment and results the country has recorded in UN peacekeeping participation. 

At the meeting of EU Chiefs of Defence in August 2018, the EU invited Vietnam to dispatch officers to be mobile trainers at a some UN peacekeeping training centres of the EU in Central Africa, Somalia, Mali and some European countries. 

Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, head of the steering committee of Vietnam's UN peacekeeping operations, said Vietnam has enjoyed favourable conditions in external activities and won support of the UN and partner countries while performing these tasks. 

The Vietnamese army’s biggest strength lies with is readiness and flexibility to help other countries with peace consolidation and national reconstruction, Vinh said, stressing that over the past five years, 27 Vietnamese officers have fulfilled their tasks in the UN missions, with none of them violating UN regulations or disciplines. 

Vietnam has contributed to US peacekeeping operations but just in terms of observation and staff, with no specific actions. 

Therefore, Vinh said, Vietnam's dispatch of a level-2 field hospital to South Sudan is a specific action and a chance to test the capacity of Vietnamese officers, in military, international relations and medical knowledge. 

It also demonstrates Vietnam's contribution to world peace, the Deputy Minister noted. 

To make more contributions to UN peacekeeping, the second level-2 field hospital will be established and based in Military Hospital 103. After a year of training, the hospital will replace the first one. Besides, Vietnam will propose the dispatch of the engineer corp in late 2019 or early 2020, Vinh said.-VNA