Second Vietnamese military officer to work at UN headquarters

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Duc Huong has secured the position of Planning Officer in the Office of Military Affairs under the Department of Peace Operations at the UN headquarters in New York, the U.S., according to the UN, which added Huong had passed three qualification stages with flying colors.

Huong would be in charge of preparing and conducting military plans, devising and evaluating campaigns and operations, as well as managing equipment and the capabilities of military forces, among other responsibilities.

He is the second Vietnamese military officer to be recruited at the UN headquarters in New York, said Major General Hoang Kim Phung, director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations. About a year ago, Lieutenant Colonel Luong Truong Vinh was also recruited as a Planning Officer of the UN Department of Peace Operations, and is now working in New York.

"Huong is an exemplary official with the capability to resolve issues based on practical experience and wide knowledge," said Phung.

The recruitment process for a Planning Officer includes application document screening, a written exam, and an interview. Each position receives about 200 applications from UN member states on average.

On Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense, per the prime minister's decision, also sent three officers on UN peacekeeping missions. Lieutenant Colonels Nguyen Ba Hung and Ly Thanh Tam would be sent to South Sudan as military observers, while Major Dao Duy Tung would act as an Information Analysis Advisory Officer in the Central African Republic.

Vietnam has participated in UN peacekeeping operations since 2014. Officers have been sent on missions to the Central African Republic and South Sudan, including 126 officials, doctors and other personnel, at two local field hospitals.