USPACOM Command Surgeon Visits Vietnam
By Embassy of the U.S. Vietnam
LAOS, Vietnam - Rear Admiral Raquel C. Bono, Command Surgeon, US Pacific Command (USPACOM), visited Vietnam from February 22-26, 2012. Rear Admiral Bono assumed her role of USPACOM Surgeon in November 2011. Her visit to Vietnam was part of a theater familiarization tour including visits to Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia and Singapore.
During her visit to Vietnam, Rear Admiral Bono met with Vietnam Ministry of Defense officials to discuss past, current and future health-related cooperation. The US and Vietnam share an excellent relationship that is growing rapidly. Military-to-military health engagements have flourished in recent years. Vietnam Ministry of Defense Military Medical Department Director Major General Vu Quoc Binh welcomed Rear Admiral Bono warmly. He expressed appreciation of military-to-military medical cooperation in the past, which has included engagements ranging from health outreach events to educational workshops. The Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Director SrCol Nguyen Xuan Thanh highlighted military-to-military collaborative research related to malaria and influenza, as well as US contributions to the military’s HIV program through the Department of Defense President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, as excellent examples of US-Vietnam cooperation.
Rear Admiral Bono visited the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) Headquarters in Haiphong, Vietnam on February 24, 2012. The VPN is developing a strong relationship with the US Navy and Rear Admiral Le Minh Thanh, Deputy Commander in Chief of the VPN, expressed enthusiasm about planned future exchanges on undersea medicine topics. Rear Admiral Bono visited the Navy Medical Institute in Haiphong, hosted by Senior CAPT Vuong Quoc Doung, VPN Surgeon General. The VPN medical personnel care for both Navy and civilian patients and practice hyperbaric medicine at the Navy Medical Institute. The US Navy-led PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP humanitarian hospital ship will visit Vietnam in July 2012 with activities to include provision of humanitarian health outreach, many medical subject matter expert exchanges and engineering projects.
Rear Admiral Bono’s visit to Vietnam also included a meeting at the Vietnam Air Defense/Air Force Institute of Aerospace Medicine. Rear Admiral Bono’s visit made history, being the first US senior military leader visit to the institute. The Air Defense/Air Force Medical Department recently completed the final planning conference with USAF planners for the June 2012 US Air Force-led PACIFIC ANGEL humanitarian mission, which will include health outreach, subject matter expert exchanges and engineering projects. The upcoming PACIFIC ANGEL will also highlight an Aviation Medicine Subject Matter Expert Exchange, which supports the growing Air Force to Air Force relationship based on building the capacity of the Vietnam Air Defense/Air Force’s Institute of Aviation Medicine.
Rear Admiral Bono met with US Ambassador to Vietnam David Shear, Deputy Chief of Mission Claire Pierangelo, and personnel from USAID, CDC and other US Government agencies working in Vietnam. The US government health team includes all agencies and is committed to coordinating efforts in working with Vietnam to address health needs. Rear Admiral Bono expressed her commitment to ongoing military-to-military health engagements in full cooperation with the Vietnam Ministry of Defense Military Medical Department in order to build health capacity and capability within the Vietnam military.
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