Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On the morning of November 11th, the opening ceremony of the Vietnam-India UN Peacekeeping Bilateral Exercise (VINBAX 2025), jointly hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense and the Indian Ministry of National Defense, was held at the Fourth National Military Training Center.
Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and Deputy Director of the Steering Committee for UN Peacekeeping Operations of the Ministry of National Defense, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Defence, and Major General Pham Manh Thang, Director of the Vietnam Peacekeeping Department, jointly presided over the exercise.
The theme of the 2025 Vietnam-India UN Peacekeeping Bilateral Exercise is "Coordination of Engineering Units and Related Departments in the Implementation of UN Peacekeeping Missions." It aims to improve the professional capabilities, coordination abilities, and field training levels of engineering, medical, and rescue forces, preparing them for participation in UN peacekeeping operations. Simultaneously, within the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, it contributes to strengthening the sound defense cooperation between Vietnam and India in the field of UN peacekeeping.
In his opening remarks, Lieutenant General Phung Si Tien stated that this was the fourth bilateral field exercise between the two militaries concerning UN peacekeeping operations, aimed at deepening friendship and solidarity and promoting sound defense cooperation between the two countries. To date, India is the only international partner to jointly conduct annual UN peacekeeping field exercises with Vietnam.
Rajesh Kumar Singh emphasized that this exercise vividly demonstrates the robust development of defense cooperation and strategic mutual trust between the two countries, becoming one of the pillars of bilateral defense cooperation and showcasing India and Vietnam's shared commitment to regional peace, stability, and cooperation.
He believed that this year's exercise provided a good opportunity for the two militaries to train together and learn from each other's practical experience in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.
Rajesh Kumar Singh stated that in the future, India hopes to expand the scope of cooperation in Vietnam-India UN peacekeeping exercises into new areas, thereby helping the two militaries better address the complex challenges of modern warfare.
He reiterated that India will continue to be a reliable partner of Vietnam in UN peacekeeping operations; at the same time, India is willing to share its experience and capabilities to contribute to further strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries.
Major General Pham Manh Thang stated that this live-fire exercise, held from November 11th to 27th, 2025, attracted nearly 300 participants and included three main components: First, theoretical training in basic UN peacekeeping operations, the contributions of Vietnam and India to UN peacekeeping, and specialized knowledge and tasks for peacekeeping forces such as engineers and medics; second, practical training in professional skills for engineers and medics in carrying out UN peacekeeping missions; and third, comprehensive drills for military observers, engineers, medics, search and rescue personnel, and drone operators in handling hypothetical scenarios during UN peacekeeping missions.
In addition to professional training, the exercise also included activities such as protocol, exchanges, sports, cultural performances, and cultural visits, which helped enhance understanding, unity, and friendship among the participants. (End)
