After nearly 4 months, Vietnam Military Medical University (VMMU) has completed preparations for Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6, which is ready to replace Level-2 Field Hospital No. 5 currently on duty at the UNMISS (South Sudan) mission.”

“Officers and personnel of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6 and Engineering Unit No. 3 at the Emulation Launch Ceremony in front of President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, on the morning of September 18, 2024. (Photo: Trọng Đức/Vietnam News Agency)”

On the afternoon of September 18, in Hanoi, Lieutenant General Phạm Trường Sơn, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, presided over the handover conference of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6 from VMMU to the direct management of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department.

Since April 2024, VMMU has collaborated with functional agencies of the Ministry of National Defense to receive and manage the officers and staff of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6. The university has been responsible for training the hospital’s personnel in medical expertise, political education, military logistics-technical skills, and English.

After nearly four months, VMMU has completed all preparations for Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6 to be ready to replace Level-2 Field Hospital No. 5, which is currently on duty at the UNMISS (South Sudan) mission.

Lieutenant General Phạm Trường Sơn affirmed that the handover of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6 to the direct management of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department provides the legal basis for the department, along with relevant agencies and units, to carry out subsequent tasks.

Additionally, the preparations for the hospital to depart and begin its mission in South Sudan on September 24 have been finalized.

Lieutenant General Phạm Trường Sơn requested that Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6 make thorough preparations for its upcoming mission. He also emphasized the need to continue the achievements of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 5 and previous Vietnamese Level-2 Field Hospitals participating in peacekeeping operations.

Members of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6 must strictly adhere to military discipline and fully recognize the honor and responsibility entrusted to them by the Party, the State, the Army, and the people. They must successfully fulfill the tasks assigned by the United Nations and the Ministry of National Defense, further enhancing the reputation and positive image of ‘Uncle Ho’s Soldiers’ in the eyes of international friends.

VMMU will continue to closely coordinate with the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, regularly providing medical expertise guidance and direction to the hospital during its upcoming mission. They have also agreed with the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department to hand over the remaining consumable medical supplies according to plan, to be transported to the mission area.

Additionally, relevant agencies and units will closely coordinate with the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department and VMMU to provide professional advice and guidance in a vertical structure, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6’s mission at the peacekeeping mission.

To date, the Vietnam People’s Army has deployed five rotations of Level-2 Field Hospitals to participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations at the UNMISS mission in South Sudan.

Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6 is set to depart for South Sudan, replacing Level-2 Field Hospital No. 5, which will conclude its term and return home.

According to the plan, on September 24, 63 personnel of Level-2 Field Hospital No. 6 will depart from Noi Bai Airport on a C-17 aircraft sponsored by Australia. Accompanying goods and equipment will be transported by air along with hospital personnel on the C-17 and by sea (to be shipped in the fourth quarter of 2024, with an estimated transit time of about 90 days to the mission).

Level-2 Field Hospital No. 5 is expected to return home in two phases: The first group, consisting of 51 personnel, will arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport on a C-17 aircraft on September 28; the second group, consisting of 12 personnel who will stay behind for the handover, will return on October 10 on a commercial flight paid for by Australia.

Hien Hanh, Translator: Nguyen Ngoc Anh