Two additional Vietnamese officers are joining a United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, according to the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department (VPD) under the Ministry of National Defense.

The officers, Sen. Lt. Col. Le Ngoc Son and Maj. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, received a dispatch order at a ceremony in Hanoi on Thursday.

The duo will serve as military observers in their upcoming duty in South Sudan, the Vietnam News Agency said.

The addition raises the number of officers that Vietnam has dispatched to UN peacekeeping forces in South Sudan and the Central African Republic to 40, including three female officers, said VPD Director Maj. Gen. Hoang Kim Phung.

Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh present UN peacekeeping dispatch orders to Sen. Lt. Col. Le Ngoc Son (L) and Maj. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong at a ceremony in Hanoi on October 24, 2019. Photo: Danh Trong / Tuoi Tre

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Defense Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh lauded the performance of the Vietnamese peacekeeping officers currently serving in South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

Vinh requested that the two out-going officers strictly comply with the regulations and rules of the Vietnam People’s Army and the UN peacekeeping mission, as well as local laws.

Vietnam first began participating in UN peacekeeping missions in 2014.

The country has since been actively sending officers to join activities to provide humanitarian aid and civilian protection in countries devastated by natural disasters and internal conflicts, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Sen. Lt. Col. Le Ngoc Son (L) and Maj. Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong at a ceremony to receive their UN peacekeeping mission dispatch order in Hanoi on October 24, 2019. Photo: Danh Trong / Tuoi Tre

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