The nine-day Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX) 2023 on United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations kicked off at the National Military Training Center 4 in Hanoi on Monday.

The large-scale rehearsal was jointly conducted by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense and its Indian counterpart, with the participation of 577 personnel, including sappers, army medical corps, instructors, liaison officers, and service forces from the two countries.

Addressing the launch ceremony for the annual event, Colonel Luu Dinh Hien, head of the Vietnam People’s Army delegation participating in VINBAX 2023, said the drill focuses on deploying sappers and army medical corps from both countries to perform UN peacekeeping missions through hypothetical situations.

The exercise, which will last until December 19, is aimed at improving the professional capacity and coordination ability of such forces in jointly participating in UN peacekeeping operations, Colonel Hien said.

During the drill, the participating forces will also be trained in specialized knowledge and skills necessary for a peacekeeping mission, including those relating to homemade explosives, reconnaissance, road building and maintenance, construction of helicopter landing zones, ammunition depots, and guard posts.

They will also be coached in first aid and transfer of injured soldiers, patient classification, and advanced trauma emergency, among other skills.

The drill, the fourth between Vietnam and India and the second hosted by Vietnam, will help tighten the friendship, solidarity, and defense ties between the two countries within the framework of their comprehensive strategic partnership, Colonel Hien stressed. 

Colonel Aseem Gupta, head of the Indian Army delegation, said that India has many years of experience in deploying forces to UN peacekeeping missions as well as in training such forces at the campaign and strategic levels.

The ongoing drill is conducted in the form of field training on a larger scale than previous bilateral exercises, contributing to enhancing trust and coordination between forces, and facilitating the two nations’ armies sharing good practices in deployment and combination of different forces, the Indian officer stated.

In addition to professional activities, the VINBAX 2023 also includes sports, cultural and artistic activities, and sightseeing tours to contribute to strengthening understanding, friendship, and solidarity between the participating units.

Colonel Pham Manh Thang, director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations under the defense ministry, asked all the drill forces to strictly comply with relevant regulations, especially those on security and safety, join the exercise with the highest sense of responsibility, and actively engage in every activity within the framework of the event.

After nearly 10 years of participation in UN peacekeeping activities, Vietnam has sent 786 officers and soldiers to perform tasks at UN peacekeeping missions in foreign countries, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

They have always fulfilled their roles and responsibilities in their assigned duties and have been highly appreciated by the UN and international friends.

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