Vietnamese female officer at UNMISS and her stories on patrols in South Sudan
Lieutenant Colonel Vu Thi Kim Oanh, a female military observer of Vietnam who was assigned to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) from September 2021 joined various short and long patrols in the war-torn country.
In her first month, she took part in 3 patrols. Her first patrol took place on October 3, 2021, when she was accompanied by a Namibian peacekeeper. The first always leaves much impression.
When they stopped at a local police checkpoint, the police recognized her as a Vietnamese and they had an open and friendly conversation with her.
A local policeman said South Sudanese know much about Vietnam via Youtube videos and other online platforms. They also watch videos about wars in Vietnam, and learn Vietnam’s long history of fighting foreign invaders. South Sudanese are very impressed by Vietnam’s national liberation war against the US in the past.
“The South Sudanese has admired Vietnamese people’s bravery and resilience and effort in fighting for national independence,” the local police officer also said, “The South Sudanese should learn lessons from Vietnam.” The kind words made Oanh really touched.
Also in October, Oanh made a short patrol to Jobor - a small village in the state of Mangalla about 50 km from the capital Juba. Oanh met the village’s chief, who could not speak English, but thanks to an interpreter, she knew his story. She was moved when knowing that the two sons of the village’s chief had been kidnapped for many years.
By December 2021, Oanh had conducred 10 patrols, each of which had given her different experiences and impressions.
