The "roses" join the peacekeeping force

Currently, Military Hospital 120 under the Logistics and Engineering Department (Military Region 9) has 4 soldiers participating in international missions at Level 2 Field Hospital No. 5 in South Sudan. Among them, two "roses" of the hospital's soldiers are honored and proud to be present.

The "roses" of Vietnam in general and Military Hospital 120 in particular took souvenir photos with local people.

The “roses” said goodbye to their families and comrades in the unit and represented Vietnamese women as “Heroic, indomitable, loyal, and capable” to go on international missions. They carried on their shoulders the national spirit and the peace mission of the Vietnam People’s Army.

Professional Major Bui Hai Thuan is a nurse at the Department of Trauma and Orthopedics (120 Military Hospital). After more than a year of duty in the faraway land of South Sudan, Major Bui Hai Thuan said: "When the unit announced the selection of people to go on international duty, I volunteered and received the approval of the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of the hospital."

After nearly 6 months of thorough training in all aspects from politics , military, technical logistics, medical expertise to peacekeeping knowledge and fully meeting the standards of the United Nations, on September 24, 2024, Major Thuan left to join the United Nations peacekeeping force in South Sudan.

Major Bui Hai Thuan introduces typical Vietnamese dishes.

Major Bui Hai Thuan confided: “To become a 'blue beret ambassador' requires many strict standards. In addition to the qualities of health, courage, determination... the journey to realize the aspiration to participate in peacekeeping of female soldiers begins with studying, practicing English and very high professional knowledge. Military knowledge, military diplomacy skills, defense diplomacy to meet high requirements in a multinational environment, moral qualities to demonstrate as a peace ambassador of the Vietnam Army... to skills such as: dancing, singing, growing rice, growing vegetables, preparing special dishes with Vietnamese flavors are also practiced thoroughly before departure day".

During the Lunar New Year of At Ty 2025, Major Bui Hai Thuan and his teammates on international duty stayed in Africa and wrapped banh chung and banh tet together to enjoy the flavors of their homeland, while introducing to friends the unique cuisine of the Vietnamese people.

As a Muong ethnic, Major Bui Hai Thuan is not only good at the profession of a female military medic but also has a warm and emotional singing voice; the ethnic dances and traditional folk songs that she performs in the area where she is stationed in South Sudan are a message of love, showing solidarity and attachment to the local people. Her unit regularly organizes medical examinations to help people and guides them to grow vegetables, grow flowers or prepare dishes with the typical characteristics of their homeland Vietnam...

“There were locals who didn’t know English, we just made signs and laughed together… Those were unforgettable memories. My dream for October 20th this year is to be encouraged, visited, given gifts by the unit… to give me more strength. I hope that after returning home, I will make up for the love of my family, especially my two children, after more than a year of separation” - Major Thuan confided.

Professional Major Nguyen Thi An, head nurse of the Examination Department (120 Military Hospital) joined the United Nations peacekeeping force in South Sudan from September 22, 2025. Ms. An was selected by the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of the Hospital, entrusting her with the trust to promote the heroic tradition of the Hospital's armed forces.

Major Nguyen Thi An (third from left) takes a souvenir photo in South Sudan.

Proud of being a soldier of Uncle Ho's Army, participating in the Blue Beret force, Major Nguyen Thi An said: "I always improve my professional knowledge of military medicine, promote pure moral qualities, always accept and excellently complete all assigned tasks to demonstrate the political, military and logistical qualities of the Vietnam People's Army to international friends."

Having a husband and two children, Major Nguyen Thi An confided: “My two children are at the age of eating and studying. Therefore, writing an application to volunteer for international duty and being away from home for a long time is not an easy thing. However, work and duty must be put first. After leaving for international duty, missing children and family must be temporarily put aside to carry out the noble mission of a military doctor and a peacekeeping force.”

The experiences of working at Military Hospital 120, the lessons of mass trauma first aid or handling widespread infectious diseases at Field Hospital Level 2 No. 5 were applied very well by Ms. An and her teammates in daily practice in the host country. "I am very fortunate to have the support of the unit, husband and children, creating all favorable conditions for me to carry out international missions, completing the assigned work well. In addition to the task of treating patients, the ao dai, conical hats, and ao ba ba of the Vietnamese people are also promoted by me and my female friends in the host country" - Major An said.

From 2021 to present, Military Hospital 120 has had 9 soldiers participating in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (5 soldiers have completed their mission and returned), including 3 female soldiers.

Vietnamese officers and soldiers on international duty in South Sudan.

Colonel Tran Minh Han, Party Committee Secretary and Political Commissar of Military Hospital 120, said: “The Party Committee, the Hospital Board of Directors, comrades and relatives still follow the officers and soldiers of the Hospital when they perform international missions. Female soldiers on peacekeeping missions are ideal models that the unit always admires. We wish the female soldiers on international missions to always maintain an optimistic spirit, promote their bravery, intelligence and military medical expertise in carrying out the noble mission assigned by the Party, State, Army and people of Vietnam. You are the pride of Military Hospital 120.”

NGUYEN SU-NGOC CUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nhung-bong-hong-tham-gia-luc-luong-gin-giu-hoa-binh-post916611.html