Vietnam answers the call: A growing commitment to global humanitarian relief

From Turkey and Myanmar to Venezuela, Vietnamese rescue forces have answered the call whenever help has been needed.

A powerful magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and neighboring Syria on February 6, 2023, damaging apartment buildings, hospitals, and critical infrastructure, and leaving tens of thousands dead, injured, or homeless.

Just four days later, on February 10, Vietnam deployed a 76-member military rescue team equipped with specialized search-and-rescue equipment and trained rescue dogs to assist relief efforts in Turkey.

Vietnam also provided 10 metric tons of emergency food supplies, local media reported.

Operating in Hatay Province from February 13 to February 22, 2023 the Vietnamese rescuers searched 31 locations, identifying 15 sites where victims were trapped beneath collapsed structures, including two where signs of life were detected.

Also, working alongside rescue teams from Bahrain and Mexico, the Vietnamese contingent located three additional sites where the bodies of 10 earthquake victims were found and subsequently handed over to local authorities.

As of February 25, 2023, the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria had surpassed 50,000, Reuters reported.

Throughout the mission, Vietnamese personnel worked around the clock under extremely challenging conditions, racing against time to identify victims and support local rescue operations.

Their professionalism and determination earned widespread recognition from the Turkish government and international partners.

Two years later, in March 2025, Vietnam once again mobilized its rescue forces after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake devastated Myanmar, claiming more than 3,000 lives.

An 80-member Vietnamese military rescue team was deployed to assist search-and-rescue operations.

For eight consecutive days, the team, led by Major General Pham Van Ty, deputy head of the General Staff's Search and Rescue Department, worked in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius amid the overwhelming odor of decomposing bodies trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

Vietnamese rescuers identified 42 locations, conducted direct search operations at 20 sites, and recovered 21 bodies.

Major General Ty described the Myanmar mission as significantly more difficult and dangerous than the operation in Turkey.

Besides the extreme heat and deteriorating health conditions caused by decomposing remains, rescue personnel also faced repeated aftershocks that threatened their safety throughout the mission.

“We searched for victims trapped beneath the rubble as though we were searching for our family members and fellow citizens, for the people of Myanmar are our brothers,” Major General Ty said.

The deployment reflected Vietnam’s broader foreign policy of being a responsible member of the international community, translating national commitments into practical humanitarian action.

Following the recent devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, leaving widespread destruction and thousands of casualties, Vietnam once sent humanitarian rescue forces overseas.

The mission marked the third international humanitarian disaster response involving personnel from both the Vietnam People’s Army and the People’s Public Security force.

The Vietnamese contingent consisted of 124 members.

Arriving in Venezuela on June 29 (local time), the team began search-and-rescue operations the following morning.

After days of intensive work, Vietnamese rescuers had recovered 54 bodies from collapsed structures by July 5.

The earthquake has claimed more than 3,300 lives.

Major General Nguyen Duc Manh, deputy commander of the Vietnam Border Guard, said the magnitude-7.2 and magnitude-7.5 earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 caused devastating casualties and widespread property damage.

He said Vietnam's decision to send rescue forces signifies the country's tradition of solidarity and compassion, as well as the foreign policy and international responsibility of the Party, state, and people of Vietnam toward the global community.

In addition to the rescue teams, a Vietnamese flight transported eight search-and-rescue dogs and around 40 metric tons of specialized equipment, rescue vehicles, and humanitarian supplies for search, rescue, and relief operations to Venezuela.

The Vietnamese team has also taken time to assist local residents facing difficulties in areas near its operation sites.

The mission is continuing to search and rescue efforts.

Venezuelan authorities have awarded a Medal of Merit to Vietnam’s search-and-rescue dog unit in recognition of its outstanding contributions to earthquake response efforts in the South American country.