On the morning of October 2, in Hanoi, VMMU coordinated with the Australian Attaché Office in Vietnam to organize an experience exchange on mental health for soldiers/officers participating in UN peacekeeping activities.

The experience exchange session was attended by Colonel Michael Willem Jansen, Australian Defence Attaché in Vietnam; Ms. Peita Louise Spence, First Secretary for Defence Policy, Australian Embassy in Vietnam. On the side of VMMU, Colonel, Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Cong Thuc, Director of Military Hospital 103 (VMMU) together with representatives of the Ministry of National Defence also attended the exchange session.

Speaking at the experience exchange session, Colonel Luong Cong Thuc emphasized that Vietnam’s policy of participating in UN peacekeeping activities has now entered its 10th year, with Level 2 Field Hospital teams, Engineering Teams and individual forces. Over the past 10 years, Australia has always been a traditional partner supporting Vietnam in training, specifically: English training, air medical transport training… In particular, the Australian Ministry of Defence has supported the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence in transporting personnel and goods of Level 2 Field Hospital teams when they began deploying to the UNMISS Mission in South Sudan.

Cooperation in the field of United Nations peacekeeping is one of the bright spots in the relationship between the two countries’ Ministries of Defence, contributing to the development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. In addition to cooperation activities on United Nations peacekeeping, military medicine is one of the effective and substantive areas of cooperation in the Vietnam – Australia defence cooperation relationship.

Colonel, Associate Professor, Dr. Luong Cong Thuc, Director of Military Hospital 103 (VMMU) spoke at the experience exchange session.

Colonel Michael Willem Jansen, Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam, spoke at the experience exchange session.

Delegates visit Military Hospital 103

Delegates attended and exchanged experiences on mental health for soldiers participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Leaders of Military Hospital 103 presented gifts to delegates.

According to medical experts, Vietnamese soldiers/officers sent to perform peacekeeping missions at United Nations Missions must participate in activities in a multinational environment. In addition, they also encounter a number of difficulties such as differences in foreign languages, local customs and practices… All of the above factors partly affect the psychology and mental health of Vietnamese blue beret soldiers.
At the experience exchange session, chaired by Colonel Luong Cong Thuc and Australian experts, delegates from both sides exchanged expertise on topics such as: capacity, programs and mental health services in the Australian Defence Force; management and mental health care for soldiers participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations: Experience from Level 2 Field Hospital; mental health support activities…
The experience exchange session on mental health for soldiers participating in peacekeeping operations is practical and meaningful; providing a lot of useful knowledge for the team of doctors and medical staff of Vietnam in approaching and taking care of the health of Vietnamese soldiers participating in the United Nations peacekeeping mission. After the experience exchange, the two sides expect to coordinate to organize more experience exchange activities, conferences and seminars to improve knowledge about mental health care for Vietnamese soldiers participating in the United Nations peacekeeping activities in the coming time.