At the plenary session on May 6, held as part of the conference conducted online from May 4–8, Major General Pham Manh Thang, Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations and head of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence delegation, said the event provided an important forum for ASEAN member states to sustain momentum and strengthen cooperation in capacity-building through training. This, he noted, would enable more effective contributions to United Nations peacekeeping missions, particularly amid emerging challenges.

Vietnam has actively implemented the UN’s Action for Peacekeeping and Action for Peacekeeping Plus initiatives, aimed at enhancing effectiveness through greater accountability, stronger capabilities and deeper partnerships among member states, improving training quality and deployment readiness.

Emphasising that training quality is a decisive factor in mission effectiveness, Thang outlined several of Vietnam’s key lessons. These include developing comprehensive pre-deployment training programmes for both individuals and units in line with UN standards; building a pool of internationally qualified instructors; applying modern training methods and tools; implementing simulation-based training models; and regularly updating and sharing lessons learned from UN missions.

He added that Vietnam has taken steps to strengthen self-reliance and standardise specialised training courses to meet international benchmarks. Notably, the country has established its first International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) Training Centre.

In March 2026, the United Nations Staff Officer Course (UNSOC) organised by the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations was certified by the UN Department of Peace Operations as meeting pre-deployment training standards – marking a significant qualitative milestone. This achievement underscores Vietnam’s growing training capacity and its contribution to enhancing the capabilities of the regional peacekeeping training network.

Participants at the conference expressed strong interest in Vietnam’s successful experience, particularly in organising training, preparing forces for deployment, and developing high-quality instructors through international cooperation.

A representative of the Philippines, the host of the meeting, proposed that Vietnam deploy mobile training teams to share its expertise with other countries in the region.

The conference brought together more than 40 delegates from 11 APCN member states, as well as representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat and the Integrated Training Service under the UN Department of Peace Operations.

Vietnam assumes ASEAN Committee chairmanship in Copenhagen

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