Vietnam and India began a joint exercise on scale model in Thach That district, Hanoi, on July 8 to share experience in dealing with situations that may arise during peacekeeping operations at United Nations missions.

Vietnamese and Indian participants in the exercise pose for a photo
(Photo: VNA)

The 2019 Vietnam-India Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX), which will last until July 14, was attended by 30 officers from both countries.

Col. Nguyen Nhu Canh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, said following the success of the first VINBAX, held in India in 2018, this year’s drill is a good occasion for the two countries to continue exchanging knowledge about and experience in deployment, management and direction activities and the settlement of situations that peacekeepers may face at UN missions. It will help improve the effectiveness of their participation in multidimensional peacekeeping missions.

The exercise is also a contribution to the mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation in UN peacekeeping between Vietnam and India, he added, noting that it is held amidst the fruitful cooperation in the field and growing bilateral defence ties. 

India has strongly supported Vietnam to take part in peacekeeping activities by inviting Vietnamese officers to join in peacekeeping training courses or seminars it organised.

Canh expressed his belief that the VINBAX 2019 will be useful for promoting Vietnam’s capacity, particularly when it is preparing to further engage in UN peacekeeping operations, including deploying another level-2 field hospital and a sapper unit.