Vietnam attends humanitarian assistance exercise in Thailand

Vietnam sent three working groups to join a joint training exercise between the experts’ working group (EWG) from ASEAN states and the association’s partner countries on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief (HADR) and military medicine (MM) in Thailand from September 1-11.

The event is part of activities within the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) mechanism.

The participation aims to show the role of the Vietnam People’s Army in activities in the region and the world, affirming the army’s commitment to HADR and MM co-operation within ASEAN and ADMM+.

It also offers a chance for Vietnamese representatives to learn from their counterparts, preparing for other exercises in Vietnam in the future.

Conducted in accordance with the EWG on MM’s three-year Work Plan, which was adopted during the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting and the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting-Plus in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in April 2014, the event will evaluate the structure, mechanisms, administrative arrangement and Standard Operating Procedures of the ASEAN Center of Military Medicine in support of the HADR missions.

It will also test the draft ADMM+ HADR Standard Operating Procedures and evaluate the structure, mechanisms, and administrative arrangement of the Multi-National Co-ordination Center (MNCC) in support of HADR missions.