Who is the first female Vietnamese officer to serve in the United Nations peacekeeping mission?

Major Do Thi Hang Nga received the President's Decision on assigning her to the role of staff officer, in charge of monitoring military activities at the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan. She is the first female officer of Vietnam to be selected and assigned to a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh presents the President's Decision to Major Do Thi Hang Nga to carry out duties at the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. Photo: An Dang - VNA

On October 30, in Hanoi, the Ministry of National Defense held a ceremony to assign tasks to officers preparing to serve as staff officers at the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission (South Sudan).

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, member of the Party Central Committee, member of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Minister of National Defense; Major General Le Hien Van, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army; representatives of units under the Ministry of National Defense; and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended.

At the ceremony, Major Do Thi Hang Nga, an officer of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center, Ministry of National Defense, received the President's Decision on assigning her to the position of staff officer, in charge of monitoring military activities at the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan, for a 12-month term, starting from October 29, 2017. She is the first female officer of Vietnam to be selected and assigned to a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defense, highly appreciated the results of the implementation of the mission as well as the preparation work for officers to perform the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center. Sending female officers to join the UN peacekeeping force demonstrates gender equality, affirms the role of women in global activities, including the peacekeeping mission, which is one of the UN's millennium goals; affirms the superior policy of our Party and State on gender equality, and promotes the role of women in the current period of national construction and defense.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh requested Major Do Thi Hang Nga to be proactive, make the greatest effort, coordinate well with colleagues to quickly catch up with the work; improve knowledge, enhance capacity, strictly comply with the regulations of the United Nations and the Mission, and ensure safety in performing tasks.

In addition, Major Do Thi Hang Nga needs to ensure the tasks assigned by the Ministry of National Defense in staff work, research, and mastering the area; implementing the foreign policy of the Party, State, and our Army; building the position and image of Uncle Ho's soldiers, demonstrating to international friends the capacity of officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army...

Colonel Hoang Kim Phung, Director of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center, Ministry of National Defense, said: After 3 years of officially participating in United Nations peacekeeping activities, Vietnam has so far sent 20 officers to perform tasks at United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in the Central African Republic and South Sudan.

To prepare for this assignment, over the past two years, Major Do Thi Hang Nga has been given the opportunity by the Vietnam Peacekeeping Center to study and receive training courses on military staff officers, military observers, information officers, United Nations civil-military relations, etc. in Sri Lanka, China, the Netherlands, and South Korea.

According to Mr. Vu Anh Quang, Director of the Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Head of the Inter-sectoral Working Group on Vietnam's participation in the United Nations peacekeeping force, the selection and dispatch of the first female officer of Vietnam to participate in the United Nations peacekeeping force is a long-term preparation process. The selected individual must ensure that they meet the requirements of the United Nations and the Mission with knowledge and skills in staff, military, foreign languages, etc.

This activity marks a new step in Vietnam's path to gradually participating in UN peacekeeping activities; contributing to strengthening Vietnam's traditional relations with countries in Africa; demonstrating its foreign policy for peace, cooperation and mutual development.

Expressing her emotion and pride at becoming the first female officer of Vietnam to participate in the United Nations peacekeeping force, Major Do Thi Hang Nga thanked the leaders of the Ministry of National Defense for their sincere advice and sharing.

Major Do Thi Hang Nga affirmed that she has prepared well in terms of professional knowledge, foreign languages, and skills, ready to set out and fulfill her mission as a pioneer at the South Sudan Mission; preserving the image of Vietnamese women and soldiers in the eyes of international colleagues and friends.

According to Dantri