Vietnamese medics at Juba International Airport.

Daily hardships, extreme weather conditions, and life-threatening dangers are the Vietnamese officers’ most memorable experiences in war-torn Bentil. Second Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Thu Trang successfully performed an operation on a Mongolian soldier who suffered volvulus and necrosis, the most complicated surgery at a field hospital at the UN mission in Bentil by then.

The medics encountered frequent heat waves, downpours, and malaria. After work, they visited refugee camps to provide health checks, deliver medicine, and instructed locals on how to grow vegetables.

“Local people’s life was extremely hard. We did everything we could to help them,” Captain Nguyen Hong Hai recalled.

“We were warmly welcomed by locals and colleagues from other countries. Many of them cried when we returned home,” said Second Lieutenant Tran Van An.              

Regular exchanges between the Vietnamese medics and local residents and other soldiers in the UN mission in Bentil left a profound impression of a warm, dynamic, and enthusiastic Vietnam.

“Locals asked for a picture with us wherever we went. Our service has made me very proud to be Vietnamese,” said Second Lieutenant Nguyen Thi Thu Trang.

After one year, the barren land where Vietnam’s level 2 field hospital was located turned green with luxuriant gardens. The hospital became a model for the UN mission in Bantil.

“We organized performances and cooked Vietnamese food for our foreign colleagues during the holidays. They have become a big fan of spring rolls,” said Major Bui Thi Xoa.

In the course of one year, Vietnamese medics treated more than 2,000 local patients.