Medical professionals from the U.S. Navy, Australian Army and Vietnam perform and observe a laparoscopic surgery as part of a subject matter expert exchange aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Shamira Purifoy

The Vietnam phase of the Pacific Partnership concluded its mission in Phu Yen on July 3. In Vietnam, the Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) team included representatives from Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

From 23 medical procedures performed aboard the USNS Mercy by US, Australian, Japanese, and Vietnamese doctors and nurses and 650 patients seen in total, to 10 band concerts with musicians from four nations reaching 6,700 people, to 115 subject-matter expert exchanges, PP22 successfully implemented a range of humanitarian activities and projects benefiting the local community in Phu Yen.

“Our partnership and friendship with Vietnam continue to thrive and grow with each Pacific Partnership mission and activity… this enhances our ability to work together, especially in times of need, most notably during a natural disaster or whenever we may be called upon to provide humanitarian assistance,” Rear Admiral Mark Melson, Commander Task Force 73 at the PP22 said closing ceremony.

Cmdr. Daniel Fuhrmann performs a dental exam on a child at Phu Yen General Hospital. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brandie Nuzzi

Thanks to the close coordination between relevant agencies, PP22 events further enhanced the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the United States as well as the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and all the participating countries.

“The Pacific Partnership mission takes the commitments of our leaders and turns them into concrete actions. Our efforts here focused on taking care of one another today, tomorrow, and in the future. The patients in the local hospital or aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy, the elementary students at three local schools, we have all seen and felt the impact of our growing ties through our 27-year bilateral relationship, epitomized through Pacific Partnership,” said US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper.

While aboard USNS MERCY T-AH 19 for the closing ceremony of Pacific Partnership 22 (PP22) in Vietnam, Ambassador Knapper thanked Phu Yen leadership for hosting such a productive mission; praised the work of all participants; and lauded the PP22’s success in strengthening our friendship all while making a tangible impact on the lives of many local friends.

At the closing ceremony.

At the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the organising committee of the PP22 Dao My also thanked the PP22 team for developing a very effective and appropriate program for construction, health care, disaster prevention and community exchange, and for selecting Phu Yen as the first stop of this year's activity plan.

This is the second time the PP has been held in Phu Yen. It aims to help enhance the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and other participating countries.

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Glenn Soriano, center, works alongside Vietnamese technicians on a ventilator at the Phu Yen Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brandie Nuzzi

U.S. Pacific Fleet Band performs alongside international and Vietnamese musicians during concerts and host nation outreach events.

Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.

This year’s event focused on healthcare and diplomacy. It featured a series of activities, including constructing new buildings for schools, providing medical care for locals, and exchanging expertise in disaster response, with the participation of personnel from the US and other countries.

On June 19, a day before the PP22 started, USNS Mercy, a hospital ship of the US Military Sealift Command, arrived at Vung Ro Port to provide medical check-ups for local people.

Vietnam is the first destination of the US Military Sealift Command’s hospital ship USNS Mercy in its PP22 mission to many countries.

It is the second time the PP has been held in Phu Yen. The first time was three years ago.

U.S. Navy Sailors participate in a beach clean-up at North Song Cau Beach during a Pacific Partnership (PP 22) host nation outreach event (HNOE). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brandie Nuzzi

HN Hayley Malpass dances with a local child during the concert at the Pacific Partnership 2022 opening cermony in Tuy Hoa city, the south-central coast province of Phu Yen on June 20 evening.

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Anne Marie Crumley, facilitates Basic Life Support subject matter expert exchange with Vietnamese medical professionals at the Traditional Medicine Hospital in Phu Yen during Pacific Partnership 2022. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Shamira Purifoy

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