Vietnamese officer protects Chinese General Secretary and President Xi Jinping three times

(Dan Tri) - Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Van Tu, an officer of the Guard Command, was honored to be the officer chosen three times to be the bodyguard to approach General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping during his visit and work in Vietnam.

In recent times, Vietnam has continuously welcomed international delegations for visits and work, such as the delegation of General Secretary andPresident of China Xi Jinping; the delegation of French President Emmanuel Macron; the delegation of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra...

Looking further, from 2023 to present, more than 60 delegations of heads of state have come to Vietnam, along with hundreds of high-level meetings at multilateral forums and conferences. In addition to the political and diplomatic factors that have been achieved, it is impossible not to mention the work of ensuring security and safety for international delegations and events.

In which, the Security Department for Special Important Events and International Guests of the Guard Command is the core unit carrying out the above task.

Russian President Vladimir Putin took a souvenir photo with the Guard Command team before ending his visit to Vietnam in June 2024 (Photo: Guard Command).

The Vietnamese officer who is especially trusted by General Secretary Xi Jinping

On April and May alone, Vietnam welcomed 7 delegations of heads of state from various countries for visits and work. Among them, the 2-day visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping is considered extremely important.

Colonel Tran Xuan Thinh, Head of the Department of Protection of Important Events and International Visitors, said that before the visit, the Guard Command worked with the advance delegation of the host country.

The working session between the security forces of the two countries went smoothly, when they agreed on plans and strategies to protect and work with General Secretary and President Xi Jinping in Vietnam.

Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Van Tu (blue vest, left) protects General Secretary Xi Jinping during his visit in April this year (Photo: VGP).

“Notably, the security side of the neighboring country proactively proposed and specifically selected Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Van Tu - an officer of the International Guest Protection Team - to take on the task of the main access protection officer for General Secretary and President Xi Jinping,” Colonel Thinh shared.

According to Colonel Thinh, Lieutenant Colonel Tu was the one who directly protected General Secretary and President Xi Jinping during his two previous visits and work in Vietnam. "This is not only the trust of the security forces of the neighboring country in Lieutenant Colonel Tu personally, but also the absolute trust in the Vietnamese security force," said Colonel Thinh.

This trust was once again confirmed when Colonel Tu said that General Secretary and President Xi Jinping happily told him: "Next time I come, please continue to protect me."

Female officer Dang Hong Nhung (behind wife Peng Liyuan) protects and approaches the wife of General Secretary Xi Jinping during his visit to Vietnam in 2015 (Photo: Dan Tri).

Not only Mr. Xi Jinping, Mrs. Peng Liyuan also shared that she felt "as secure as in her own country" with female officer Dang Hong Nhung - the person assigned to protect the wife during her visit to Vietnam at the end of 2023.

“Your seriousness, professionalism, precision and meticulousness in every detail of your work make us very satisfied,” Ms. Peng Liyuan told officer Nhung.

Or as with the Russian security force, Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Thang, an officer of the International Guest Protection Team, said that officers from the two countries seemed to have an invisible connection.

“In the crowd, we still recognized each other. We didn’t need to talk much, but through our eyes and nods, we understood each other’s messages, gave each other absolute trust and precious feelings,” Lieutenant Colonel Thang shared.

What makes success?

The above stories only happen when Vietnam is a safe and hospitable country.

From then on, the world could witness the image of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte happily cycling with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the most poetic street in Hanoi - Phan Dinh Phung - in November 2023; or the minutes of walking and visiting Hanoi neighborhoods of the French President, Hungarian President...

Behind those impressive moments is a process of meticulous preparation, planning, and deployment of forces by the Security Department for special events and international guests.

French First Lady Brigitte Macron and Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly, wife of General Secretary To Lam, visit the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam (Photo: Guard Command).

Colonel Tran Xuan Thinh said that the objects of struggle and prevention of the guards when performing their duties are very diverse, they can be political subjects, criminals; mentally ill, drug addicts; dangers from crazy, wild animals, or even objective factors such as weather, natural disasters, floods...

“Therefore, through professional consultation, the unit develops a protection plan, organizes drills to handle professional situations to ensure they are close to reality; trains officers and soldiers in professional working skills, the ability to observe, judge situations, be proactive and flexible in performing tasks, to ensure absolute safety for the guarded subjects,” said Colonel Thinh.

To have a team of officers and soldiers with high professional qualifications, strong political will, and the ability to work independently in an international environment, according to Colonel Thinh, the unit has researched and pioneered in training and practicing effective protection plans suitable for each guard group.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte cycled with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the most poetic street in Hanoi - Phan Dinh Phung - in November 2023 (Photo: Dan Tri).

A typical example is the recent work of protecting the Thai Prime Minister's delegation. For the first time, the unit deployed a team of security officers who were all young female officers.

According to Colonel Thinh, the Command's viewpoint is that all innovations and creations in professional work originate from and are directed towards soldiers, ensuring the best facilities, technical equipment, and support tools, helping guards to excellently complete their tasks.

Meanwhile, commanders of units under the Command always put themselves in the position of officers and soldiers, to understand and share the difficulties and hardships in the process of performing tasks, as well as in life.

Vietnamese female bodyguards protect the Thai Prime Minister (Photo: BTL Bodyguard).

From there, commanders will give close leadership and direction policies; gather and arouse collective spirit, responsibility, enthusiasm, and encourage officers and soldiers to actively study and continuously improve their qualifications in all aspects, meeting the increasingly high requirements of security work.

“A united collective with individuals who make constant efforts is an especially important factor, the foundation and source of successive successes in the unit's protection campaigns,” Colonel Tran Xuan Thinh shared.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/si-quan-viet-nam-3-lan-bao-ve-tong-bi-thu-chu-tich-trung-quoc-tap-can-binh-20250606101019140.htm