The Vietnam People’s Army undertook a Field Training Exercise with a foreign Army for the first time

The Vietnam-India bilateral army drill, Exercise VINBAX-2022, came to an end on Thursday with a demonstration of multi-agency humanitarian assistance in disaster relief (HADR). It also saw an equipment display showcasing the Make in India initiative.

The exercise, which was held at the Chandimandir military station, was unique as it was the first time ever that the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) was undertaking a Field Training Exercise with any foreign Army. "The fact that Vietnam chose India for this honour, speaks volumes about the value the two countries place on their mutual relationship," the Ministry of Defence said.

VINBAX-2022 was focused on deployment of Army Engineer and Medical teams in UN Peacekeeping operations. Vietnam has deployed a contingent in UN peacekeeping operations for the first time in South Sudan while India has a long and rich tradition of contributing to UN peacekeeping operations, the defence ministry pointed out.

For nearly three weeks, the soldiers of the two Armies learnt from each other and shared best practices. The contingents from the two countries underwent theory classes followed by practical exercises to validate the learning. The final validation exercise, called ‘Men in Blue’, was built around the setting up of a base in a remote African location faced with myriad challenges.

The closing ceremony was attended by Ambassador of Vietnam to India Pham Sanh Chau and a high-level observer delegation of the VPA, which had flown down especially for the purpose. The next edition of VINBAX will be hosted in Vietnam in 2023.