In accordance with a directive from the Ministry of National Defense, 68 official members from the Army Officer Training School No.1 will participate in the military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (May 9, 1945 - May 9, 2025) at Red Square in Moscow, Russia.

The contingent, which includes 73 individuals in total - 68 official participants and 5 reserves - is scheduled to depart for Russia on April 23. Alongside them are leaders, training instructors, medical staff, interpreters, and security officers.

A display of strength and unity

The parade participants, aged between 19 and 30, all stand over 1.80 meters tall. These officers, lecturers, and cadets were carefully selected for their balanced physique and ability to execute military commands swiftly, forcefully, and precisely.

Major General Nguyen Van Thanh, Deputy Rector of the Army Officer Training School No.1 and a PhD holder, said the school has organized and intensively trained the selected personnel over recent weeks. The training is designed to enhance their command movement skills, coordination, and synchronization to reflect the professionalism, discipline, and might of the Vietnam People’s Army.

He emphasized that their participation also embodies Vietnam’s desire to build peaceful, friendly, and cooperative international relations.

According to Major General Nguyen Van Thanh, the training regimen has focused on both individual and collective formation drills, ensuring that all movements are accurate, synchronized, and exhibit the strength and unity of the force.

Training has been carried out in structured stages, starting with individual drills and progressing to unit-level rehearsals and full-dress reviews.

A symbol of international friendship

During a rehearsal for the parade commemorating the 50th anniversary of national reunification on the evening of April 18 in Ho Chi Minh City, General Phan Van Giang, Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense, noted that the troops participating in the Russian parade are trained under a distinct set of ceremonial orders compared to other domestic units. The shortest soldier in the Vietnamese formation for Red Square measures 1.81 meters tall.

At the end of 2024, during the 7th Vietnam - Russia Defense Strategic Dialogue, Senior Lieutenant General Alexander Vasilyevich Fomin, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Defense, extended a formal invitation on behalf of his Minister to General Phan Van Giang and the Vietnamese military formation to attend the 80th anniversary Victory Day parade.

General Phan Van Giang affirmed that the Vietnamese people and the Vietnam People’s Army will always remember and appreciate the tremendous support from the Russian Federation during Vietnam’s struggle for independence and reunification, as well as its continued assistance in the country’s socialist development and defense.

Defense cooperation remains a cornerstone of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the Russian Federation, with numerous significant achievements in recent years.

Tran Thuong