Earlier, under the direction of the Permanent Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, the prime minister, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence, a team of 80 officers and professional soldiers was dispatched to Myanmar to participate in rescue efforts starting from March 30.
Racing against time for rescue and recovery
According to Major General Pham Van Ty, immediately upon arrival in Myanmar, despite the late hour, the team continued travelling over 500 kilometres to Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, to begin their mission without delay.
After coordinating with local authorities, the team quickly deployed to three key locations: the Bala Tidi apartment complex, Ottara Thiri Hospital, and Aye Chan Thar Hotel.
Discussing the dangers during the rescue process, Major General Ty shared that the Vietnamese officers and soldiers faced numerous challenges.
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| Major General Pham Van Ty emphasised that the VPA’s rescue team completed their mission with excellence, thereby spreading the noble spirit of international solidarity, the fine traditions of the Vietnamese people, and the core values of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”. |
First and foremost were the extreme weather conditions, with temperatures consistently above 40°C, which also caused bodies to decompose rapidly. Additionally, many of the search areas posed serious risks of collapse, leading several other international rescue teams to withdraw due to the complexity and danger.
At the search sites, the Vietnamese team deployed sniffer dogs and specialised search equipment. As a result, they detected 32 potential victim locations, directly conducted search operations at 20 of them, and recovered 21 bodies.
“Notably, our team worked with Myanmar and Turkish rescue forces to save a 26-year-old man who had been trapped under the rubble for five days, earning deep respect from the local population and fellow rescue teams,”emphasised Major General Pham Van Ty.
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| The VPA’s rescue force successfully rescued a person trapped under rubble for five days. |
At the aforementioned locations, the team also found valuable assets and equipment worth hundreds of thousands of US dollars, which were then returned to Ottara Thiri Hospital and the local people.
In addition, during their time in Myanmar, the team engaged in diplomatic activities, exchanges, and shared rescue experiences with specialised agencies from Myanmar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and others.
Spreading noble international spirit
According to Major General Ty, the Vietnamese team’s contributions were highly appreciated by U Myat Thu, Director General of the Myanmar Fire Services Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Myanmar representatives stated that the Vietnamese team found the most victims and conducted the most meaningful activities among all foreign rescue teams operating in Naypyidaw.
In fact, the VPA’s search and rescue mission, as well asVietnam's involvement in general, received high praise from Myanmar and international rescue forces, especially for their professionalism and technical expertise.
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(Photo: Thanh Dat) |
Major General Pham Van Ty also shared that international colleagues admired the courage, intelligence, and creativity of the Vietnamese combat engineers and military medics. Many "difficult cases" that other teams gave up on were successfully resolved by the Vietnamese team.
“The deployment of Vietnamese forces to assist with earthquake rescue efforts in Myanmar has helped to spread the noble international spirit, uphold the honourable traditions of the nation, and showcase the values of 'Uncle Ho’s soldiers.' It also holds deep significance for Vietnam–Myanmar relations, contributing to helping the Myanmar people overcome their current challenges,” emphasised Major General Pham Van Ty.
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(Photo: Thanh Dat) |
Speaking on the lessons learned from the mission, the head of the rescue team stated that these are valuable experiences for improving the capacity of Vietnam’s rescue forces. These experiences should be summarised, standardised, and documented as reference materials to support future deployments abroad and in multinational working environments.
Thanks to their sense of responsibility, relentless effort, and concrete results in assisting a neighbouring country, the VPA rescue delegation received a commendation letter from General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defence.
