Vietnamese peacekeeper dies on duty

Lieutenant Colonel Do Anh, a Vietnamese officer, lost his life on United Nations peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic in early 2022.

Vietnamese officer, Do Anh, 38.

Do Anh, 38, who worked as a military observer at the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in 2021, passed away on January 6, 2022 (local time) at the UN Field Hospital Level 3 in Nakasero, Kampala, Uganda.

His remains was handed over to Vietnam on January 15.

The memorial service in his honor will take place at the National Funeral Hall in Hanoi on January 19. He will be laid to rest in the Nhon martyrs’ cemetery in Hanoi on the same day.

Earlier on January 8, an online memorial service for Lt. Col. Do Anh was held under the collaboration between the MINUSCA and Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense.

Born in the northern province of Nam Dinh and residing in Hanoi, the Vietnamese officer worked at the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

For his dedication, the Vietnamese prime minister recognized Do Anh as a martyr and awarded him a Fatherland Merit Recognition certificate while the Ministry of National Defense posthumously promoted Do Anh from the rank of Major to Lieutenant Colonel.

Do Anh is among hundreds of Vietnamese officers performing the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan and the Central African Republic since Vietnam participated in the global missions in 2014.

In 2018, the first ever Vietnamese medical team deployed in the history of peacekeeping arrived in South Sudan and maintained its mission since then.

“This is not just an honor for us, but it is also an honor for Vietnamese people to join a peacekeeping mission. We received a lot of support from the government, from the army, and from the Vietnamese people,” Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Bui Duc Thanh said at a ceremony deploying peacekeeping missions. Thanh is an Intensive Care Unit doctor, who has been working in the medical field for 15 years.

With missions mandated by the UN Security Council and General Assembly, the UN Peacekeeping which was set up in 1948 helps countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace. The forces are comprised of civilian, police, and military personnel.

They operate in some of the toughest and most dangerous places in the world, going where others cannot or will not. The peacekeepers are actively engaged in protecting civilian populations, helping prevent conflict, reducing violence, and strengthening security in the field where it matters most.