A woman on a long journey

I knew Vu Nguyet Anh from the 2019 military training class in the sunny and windy land of Son Tay (Hanoi). At that time, in my eyes, Nguyet Anh was a somewhat weak girl with a slim figure, pale white skin and an intelligent, attractive face. I learned that Nguyet Anh was a teacher at the Foreign Language Department, Army Officer School 1. But after several years, one day in mid-April 2023, I was surprised to see the teacher I knew from that day now full of confidence and strength wearing the uniform of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Force and in January 2025, she officially received the decision to go to the Republic of South Sudan to work. Since then, I have always closely followed her journey...

Captain Vu Nguyet Anh was honored to receive the United Nations Peacekeeping Medal presented by Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan.

Until Nguyet Anh sent me a video of herself driving a heavy armored vehicle through the bumpy roads of South Sudan, I no longer had any thoughts of my previous weakness. I texted Nguyet Anh:

- God, how can you drive that car? It weighs a few tons.

- About 5 tons! I'm here to practice and compete!

Then Nguyet Anh told me about her training process to get a bulletproof driver's license. Not only did she have to drive through bumpy, winding roads that were prone to getting stuck in the rain, but she also had to drive 10 circles in a row, and if she wasn't sure about the steering wheel, she would slip right away.

In addition to studying, improving professional knowledge and foreign languages, physical strength is her biggest "pain". With a weak physical condition, she has tried her best to practice all kinds of sports, from jogging every morning, learning to swim long distances, to doing resistance training regularly every day. There are days when she is exhausted but still does not allow herself to give up. Sometimes she has to take advantage of every break, set her own running and swimming route, gradually increase the intensity, and persevere day by day, week by week. Thanks to that, she has enough health to adapt to the special and difficult work that requires physical endurance in an international environment.

Nguyet Anh still says that every effort has its price. Because of those months of hard work, when she started her assignment in South Sudan, she was able to adapt to the harsh conditions there.

That was when she was alone with her suitcases in a strange airport, surrounded by people of different skin colors and races. She felt scared! A vague fear of a woman on a long journey when she was more than 8,000km away from her homeland.

Captain Vu Nguyet Anh with women and children of South Sudan.

That was when UN staff took them to their accommodation - in a container truck, the temperature always reached 40-50 degrees Celsius, with only one door. This door could not be opened regularly for fear of all kinds of risks and uncertainties: If the door was left open for too long, mosquitoes, insects, and even snakes could easily crawl in, bringing with them the risk of dangerous diseases such as malaria and dengue fever that are always lurking in this harsh African environment. In addition, we also had to be on guard against stray bullets, because in reality there had been clashes between armed groups, and once stray bullets flew into the base, but fortunately no one was injured. These were also constant uncertainties in a city still engulfed in war.

And the hardships of patrolling. Captain Vu Nguyet Anh shared: “The job of a military observer is to regularly go to the field to grasp the situation, going around the area is about 100km, and going far is many times that distance. The more remote areas we can go to, the better. Places where the host government and the UN have not even been able to reach to support and help.”

Each long patrol trip usually lasts 5-7 days, with a few dozen people including UN peacekeeping forces, but Nguyet Anh is the only woman. In addition to the inconveniences such as not being able to use personal hygiene along the way, not being able to travel alone to avoid risks, walking 10-15km, not being able to rest when sick, limited water intake, and eating only dry rations from Vietnam have become normal things.

In her diary, Vu Nguyet Anh recorded her journey: “In the first days in the bustling capital Juba, everything was new, I still kept preparing myself mentally for bigger challenges. And then, I volunteered to go to the border area between the three countries of South Sudan, Congo and Uganda... These days, the travel ban was applied throughout the city, but our observer force did not falter, continuing to patrol to protect the people.”

In recognition of the outstanding efforts of the Vietnamese female peacekeeping officer, after 3 months of duty, Captain Vu Nguyet Anh was awarded the UN Peacekeeping Medal. This honor is usually only awarded to peacekeeping officers who have worked continuously for 6 months. In addition, after exactly 3 months of duty, she was the first Vietnamese officer to be selected to join the Mission's Military Observer Training Team.

Warmth in hot spots

Just one month after arriving in the capital Juba and taking up her post at the Military Observation Office, Captain Vu Nguyet Anh volunteered to go to the Yei area - a hot spot for security, ethnic conflicts and refugee migration. Observing and recording life here, especially in refugee camps, helped Nguyet Anh realize: Women and children are vulnerable in society, not fully educated, not protected, and can be subjected to violence and abuse at any time.

So she reported to her superiors and proposed a solution to increase the frequency of patrols around the area, from once a day to three times a day. She actively went to refugee camps and schools in Terekeka (Juba), participated in community development projects, and promoted awareness of children's rights, gender equality, and the role of women in peace building. In each place she visited, she spent time meeting, talking, listening, and sharing with students, especially girls, giving them more strength and confidence in the future.

Like the time she visited Bright Future School, a new school that had just opened a few weeks earlier, but was home to many children from kindergarten to high school in Terekeka, she and her colleagues organized life skills lessons, shared practical knowledge, and encouraged the children to maintain their studies and overcome difficulties. Immediately after, a student came to her and confided that he wanted to study well so that when he grew up, he could do a job like the teachers and help his community as much as possible.

Captain Vu Nguyet Anh confided: “I always want every child, especially girls, to realize that they are completely capable of deciding their own future. Education is not only a way to help them escape their current difficulties, but also a way for them to create real change in the community.”

Actively collecting and processing information, the reports she recorded have made an important contribution to the implementation of measures to strengthen patrols to protect the refugee camp area, arrange night security checkpoints, coordinate the organization of communication sessions on violence prevention and control, build community self-defense groups, and provide emergency support for food and clean water. In particular, she has connected with humanitarian organizations to implement long-term support projects such as building classrooms, providing medical supplies and life skills training for women and children. These measures have significantly contributed to improving the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping work in the region.

Captain Vu Nguyet Anh takes care of children in South Sudan. Photo provided by the character

Small hands, big happiness

One of the meaningful activities that Captain Vu Nguyet Anh carried out was to instruct and directly wash hands for local children in South Sudan - where epidemics are always a constant threat to children. When first meeting, the local girls were shy and worried because it was their first time meeting foreigners. But with a gentle smile, friendly eyes and caring gestures, she gradually erased the distance, giving them a sense of safety and closeness. In the harsh African sun, she patiently prepared water and soap, then gently held their hands, enthusiastically instructing them on each washing movement. From the initial hesitation, the children's eyes gradually lit up with surprise and then joy when being cared for, trusting her with their hands.

Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, Commander of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan, commented: “We highly appreciate the professionalism, responsibility and dedication of Captain Vu Nguyet Anh. The presence of officers like Captain Vu Nguyet Anh has contributed to building trust between the UN Peacekeeping Force and the local community, helping to improve the effectiveness of civil-military cooperation in the region. Not only is Captain Vu Nguyet Anh a role model of courage, she is also an inspiration for young female officers from many other countries to continue to dedicate themselves to the ideals of peace and humanity. We believe that her contributions will leave a lasting positive mark on both the mission and the people of South Sudan.”

The term at the UN Peacekeeping Mission is still ongoing and the young, enthusiastic female officer Vu Nguyet Anh always tells herself: “Because we only live once in this world, it is better to shine brightly once than to flicker and then go out. I have been and always will be like that, living each day with the thought of what value I will bring to the people here. For me, this journey is not only a mission but also a guiding light for faith, hope and better things for this land”.

THU THUY - NGUYET CAT

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/hanh-trinh-nhan-ai-cua-nu-si-quan-mu-noi-xanh-836959