USNS Mercy, a hospital ship of the US Military Sealift Command, on June 19 arrived at Vung Ro Port of the central province of Phu Yen, its first destination in the Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) mission.

USNS Mercy, a hospital ship of the US Military Sealift Command, on June 19 arrived at Vung Ro Port of the central province of Phu Yen, its first destination in the Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) mission.

2022 is the 17th year of PP22, the largest annual multinational mission for disaster relief preparedness and humanitarian assistance in the Indo-Pacific region.

In Vietnam, the PP22 group includes representatives from Australia, Japan, the UK, and the US, who will coordinate with Vietnamese partners in a number of activities and projects to benefit local people.

During the mission implementation in Phu Yen, PP22 will carry out healthcare activities in terms of internal medicine and dentistry; build new classrooms for some primary schools, and share specialised knowledge about the disaster response process.

Besides, the US Pacific Fleet Band will also join Vietnamese artists to perform at exchange programmes with the local community.

Captain Hank Kim, Commander of the PP22 mission, said the cooperation reflects solidarity and helps build up trust among countries and promote their readiness to effectively work together to respond to natural disasters or any incidents.

He expressed the willingness to share experience and expertise with Vietnamese agencies and other partner countries so as to develop and maintain skills after the mission concludes.

An opening ceremony for the PP22 mission will be held at Nghinh Phong Square in Tuy Hoa city of Phu Yen on June 20 evening./.

Q.Hoa t.h / VNA