Excitement and nerves accompanied Vietnam's youngest peacekeeper into South Sudan.
Captain Do Hoang Thanh Tam, 23, joined 62 Vietnam People's Army medical personnel on an Australian C-17A Globemaster in late September, deploying on the seventh rotation supporting the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
It was her first UN deployment, drawing cheers and tears at the Ho Chi Minh City farewell ceremony.
While not a medic, she will manage administration and interpretation duties, as well as assist with patient intake, transfers and medical evacuations to higher-level facilities.
"I feel both excited and worried, but I will try my best to handle the hospital's administration," she said.
"We symbolise our nation on this mission, so we have to be very proud."
Her words reflected the emotions of many departing peacekeepers as families lined the runway, proud yet anxious to farewell their loved ones.
Ahead of them lies a demanding year in South Sudan, where the hospital will contend with infectious disease, everyday injuries and the constant challenge of supporting UN personnel in austere conditions.
At the same time, 53 Vietnamese peacekeepers prepared to return home, completing their own year of service and handing the mission to the new rotation.
This year's rotation follows expanded training in aeromedical evacuation, mental health preparation, and gender, peace and security aspects - reflecting Vietnam's growing sophistication in UN peacekeeping operations.
The ADF has been central to that progress, providing airlift, specialist training and long-term mentoring. Vietnamese instructors are now sharing lessons from their own deployments.
Australia has supported every rotation since Vietnam's first deployment in 2018, pairing strategic airlift with mentorship across the full training cycle.
'The C-17 flights are really just the final act and we've been working with each rotation for almost a year beforehand.'
Australian Defence Attaché in Hanoi Group Captain Mick Jansen said Australia's support went far beyond the annual airlift.
"The C-17 flights are really just the final act and we've been working with each rotation for almost a year beforehand," he said.
"That includes medical English training, aeromedical evacuation courses, mental health preparation and even rules of engagement, ensuring Vietnam's peacekeepers meet UN standards."
He said Australia had the only formal peacekeeping partnership arrangement with Vietnam, with a relationship that had grown to include engineering units and joint planning with other nations.
"What we're learning from the Vietnamese is how it actually works on the ground in South Sudan, where they're dealing with different equipment and conditions," Group Captain Jansen said.
Beyond UNMISS, Vietnam also contributes engineers and staff officers to other UN missions, reflecting its expanding global peacekeeping role.
Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Vu Ngoc Ninh, senior medical officer for Vietnam's Level 2 Field Hospital, said his team was ready to face the challenges in South Sudan.
"There are many challenges and limited resources, poverty and widespread disease, such as malaria, cholera and dengue fever," he said.
"But as a unit, we are united and determined to overcome those difficulties and complete the mission together."
More than 400 personnel have rotated through the mission, earning international recognition for the professionalism of the Vietnam People's Army medical contingent - a milestone for Vietnam and the region.
Returning veterans from rotation seven passed on lessons to better prepare the new contingent for conditions in South Sudan.
First Secretary Defence at the Australian Embassy in Hanoi and policy adviser for peacekeeping, Chloe Maric, said this year's deployment also included several other important firsts.
"We've provided mental health pre-deployment training for the first time, alongside English language, aeromedical evacuation and rules of engagement courses," she said.
"The contingent's executive officer is also a psychiatrist - the first time Vietnam has deployed a mental health specialist with the mission."
Since their first rotation, the Vietnamese contingent has also cultivated a small farm in South Sudan, bringing seeds from home to grow familiar vegetables and herbs.
"I think that's the kind of cultural approach they bring - creating a sustainable way to support themselves while also sharing food with others in the mission," Ms Maric said.
The UNMISS was established in 2011 to support peace, protect civilians and strengthen state institutions in the world's newest nation, and remains one of the UN's larger continuing operations.
The Vietnamese contingent's journey began with a transit stop in the Seychelles before arriving in Juba, South Sudan, to take over duties from their returning colleagues.
