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Leaders of the Armored Corps and members of the tank contingent pose for a joint photo. Source: PANO

A ceremony was held on July 14 to send-off the Vietnamese tank contingent to participate in the International Army Games 2021 in Russia, reported PANO the online newspaper of the Vietnam People's Army.

In order to best prepare for the Army Games 2021, under the direction of the head of the Ministry of National Defense , the Vietnam tank team was established on Feb. 28 with an initial 42 members. In the process of training and testing, the coaching board gradually screened and selected the best athletes to participate in the competition.

Colonel Vu Manh Tu, deputy chief of the Military Training Division under the Armored Corps said: "The members of the Tank Team are comrades with good health and bravery, well qualified, selected from units in the entire Armored Army. Participating in Army Games; teams will use T72-B3 tanks arranged by the organizing committee to compete.

However, because our Army has not equipped this vehicle, the army still has to practice on the old T54 and PT-76 models, which have a completely different steering and fire control systems from the T72-B3. However, with the spirit of solidarity, determination and high unity, during the training process, soldiers controlled the vehicle well and aimed to exceed the features of equipment and weapons."

All crewmembers are practicing hard to achieve high results at the 2021 Army Games. Source: PANO

Thanks to regular practice, the crewmembers’ coordination capability has continuously improved. Source: PANO

Source: PANO

As planned, the Vietnamese tank team will depart for Russia on July 16 for intensive training before officially competing at the Army Games.

At the send-off event, Colonel Tu emphasized that the tank contingent had proactively developed and implemented training plans in a scientific and specific manner. The members have practiced hard with contents in line with contest regulations.

Additionally, their shooting and driving skills have been tested regularly while the outcomes of each tank crew has been reviewed to further improve the quality of training.

With their much-improved expertise, they are now ready to take part in training courses overseas and compete with foreign peers.

On behalf of the tank contingent, its head Senior Colonel Phan Hai Long promised to strictly abide by the training program, ensure safety and get the best results at the Games.

Major General Do Dinh Thanh, chief of the Armored Corps, asked the team show the armored force’s tradition, stay united, be creative, overcome difficulties, and complete their assigned missions.

Regarding the advanced phase of the training process at a training ground in Russia, General Thanh asked the members to take advantage of Russian expert help, make the most of their training time to master the T72-B3 tanks, and hone their driving and shooting skills.

Thanh also requested them to strictly observe the games’ regulations, compete honestly and nobly, learn from their foreign peers, and ensure absolute safety before, during and after the games.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, this year’s Army Games will be held from Aug. 22 to Sept. 4. A total of 277 teams from 41 countries and territories will compete in 34 categories.

The Vietnamese tank crew clinched the gold medal in Group 2 of the Tank Biathlon Competition in the 2020 Army Games.

With this great achievement, Vietnam has ascended into the first competition group. This means that they will be competing directly against strong competitors such as Russia, Belarus and China in Group 1 of the Tank Biathlon Competition in the 2021 Army Games.

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