The welcome ceremony was chaired by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Hien, Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Senior Lieutenant General Le Van Tuyen, Deputy Minister of Public Security. Representing Venezuela was Ms Estela Del Valle Quijada Suarez, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of Venezuela in Vietnam.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Hien commended the outstanding performance of the Vietnam People's Army and the People's Public Security rescue teams in supporting the Venezuelan Government and people in responding to the earthquake's aftermath. He emphasized that the mission reflected Vietnam's noble international responsibility and contributed to strengthening cooperative relations between Vietnam and Venezuela. He also expressed his hope that Venezuela would soon complete its post-earthquake reconstruction efforts and restore normal living conditions for people in the affected areas.
This marked the third time Vietnam has deployed personnel and equipment overseas to carry out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Many members of the contingent had previously participated in missions supporting the governments and people of Türkiye and Myanmar in responding to devastating earthquakes in 2023 and 2025.
During its mission in Venezuela, the Vietnamese search-and-rescue team recovered the bodies of 57 victims and worked with local authorities to locate and hand over multiple sites suspected of containing additional victims, helping bring closure to bereaved families and ease the suffering of the Venezuelan people. The team also provided free medical examinations and medicines, distributed relief supplies, and assisted residents in relocating their belongings.
Having successfully completed its humanitarian mission in Venezuela, Vietnam Airlines Flight VN69 brought 124 Vietnamese officers and personnel back home. The round-trip journey covered more than 31,000 km over nearly 48 hours, operating between Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela, with a technical stop at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.
For the special mission, Vietnam Airlines deployed a crew comprising six pilots, 12 flight attendants, two engineers, and four ground service personnel. The special flight departed Noi Bai International Airport at around 11:30 p.m. on July 8 to bring home the Vietnamese search-and-rescue contingent after it had fulfilled its international humanitarian mission assisting the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung is scheduled to receive the delegation on July 11.
In recognition of the Vietnamese search-and-rescue contingent's outstanding contributions, the Venezuelan Government awarded the First-class “Hero of Venezuela” Medal to the delegation, the Second-class “Hero of Venezuela” Medal to all 124 members of the mission, and the Meritorious Service Medal to the contingent’s handler and service dog team in recognition of their outstanding achievements in SAR operations and relief efforts in Venezuela.
