Vietnamese special forces must undergo extremely strict training regimens, the most severe of which is "forced imitation."
 |
| The 5th Water Commando Brigade, formerly known as Battalion 5, was established on March 24, 1967. From its establishment to 1975, the unit trained and supported 50 sets of officers and soldiers on the battlefield, from Company 1 to Company 50, with over 5,000 water commando officers and soldiers. (In the photo are soldiers preparing for a new day of training) |
 |
| After the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, the unit continued to make remarkable, comprehensive, and steady progress. The 5th Special Forces Brigade is a typical and outstanding unit in the emulation movement to win of the Special Forces and the entire army. (Water special forces soldiers practice fighting and destroying the enemy) |
 |
| To become “exceptionally elite, extremely brave, resourceful and daring, and able to fight dangerously and win big” water special forces soldiers, officers and soldiers of the 5th Special Forces Brigade had to train extremely hard and arduously, always facing danger. (In the photo, water special forces soldiers practice martial arts) |
 |
| To become a real water commando (often called a "frogman"), training takes two years. (In this photo, water commandos prepare for their long-distance swim) |
 |
| Skills required of special frogmen: Continuous silent swimming for at least 10km, maximum diving distance of 1,000m, excellent wave resistance to be able to dive deep and travel by plane or submarine. (Officer assigning training tasks) |
 |
| Vietnamese special forces also need to be proficient in using heavy weapons to attack when foreign countries invade their territorial waters, and in the most difficult situations, they can camouflage themselves in just 1-2 minutes. (In the photo is a long-distance swimming exercise of Vietnamese special forces) |
 |
| In order for soldiers to be able to swim continuously for 12-15km at sea, they have to spend a lot of effort training both physically and mentally. Officers at all levels regularly follow, practice, dive, and swim with the soldiers; organize day and night practical training, techniques to overcome currents, avoid marine life and practice methods to handle scratches without bleeding and attracting dangerous animals to follow. |
 |
| All of these skills must be mastered and handled independently by a special forces soldier to ensure safety and complete the mission accurately and effectively in the shortest time. |
 |
| The most rigorous part of the training is the "frog training." Soldiers are placed in a chamber that increases and decreases the pressure, adjusting it to the seawater pressure at the corresponding depth. This process is strictly followed to train the soldiers' endurance when diving at different depths. This is also the most difficult stage in selecting the frogmen who meet the mission requirements. (In the photo is the endurance training of the commandos) |
 |
| In the decompression chamber, the pressure will make the chest feel like it is about to burst, causing difficulty breathing and extreme discomfort. But as a frogman, it is necessary to go through this stage to be able to dive to a depth of tens of meters, otherwise, you will die at any time when performing a mission at sea. - In the photo, the smile of a soldier after a day of training (Synthesized by QDND, TPO). |
According to Baodatviet
