Police patrolling the streets on motorcycles, cars, or on foot are common sights in Vietnam. However, seeing police officers on horseback is a one-of-a-kind experience for local residents.
That’s why the photos of Vietnam’s first police cavalry unit parading Ba Dinh Square on horseback this morning have been making waves on the Internet.
On the morning of 8th June, Vietnam’s first police cavalry unit made their debut, parading on Ba Dinh Square in the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other military officers.
Image credit: VTV
Looking smart, fit, and confident, the uniformed police officers rode with ease and aplomb.
Image credit: VTV
The main responsibilities of the police cavalry unit officers are to combat criminals and transport supplies to remote areas that are not accessible to vehicles, according to commander Nguyen Quoc Cuong.
Image credit: Weibo Vietnam
Besides, the police cavalry units will also parade in formal ceremonies welcoming diplomats, as well as join international horse-racing competitions for police and military officers.
Police cavalry unit officers must be animal lovers
Image credit: Weibo Vietnam
Those who are selected to be in the police cavalry unit are said to be physically fit and need to be animal lovers. They are also professionally trained to ride and tame horses.
Image credit: VTV
The horses of the police cavalry unit range from ages 2 to 4. They are all thoroughbreds imported from Mongolia, and trained in Thai Nguyen Province. Out of 105 horses serving in the police cavalry unit, 70 have been trained for riding while the rest are used for breeding purposes.
When it comes to armed men riding on horseback, most of us will immediately think of the knights in England or border guards in other parts of Europe, but not Vietnamese forces.
For this reason, the photos featuring cavalry unit officers on horseback have been drawing immense attention from local netizens when they were circulated all over Facebook this morning.
Image credit: Beatvn
Facebook user Sỹ Nguyễn commented on the post, “This is the first time I’ve seen Vietnamese police officers riding horses. It’s beautiful, meaningful, and friendly.”
Meanwhile, some Korean drama fans couldn’t help but refer to the image of actor Lee Min Ho riding his horse in The King: Eternal Monarch.
Image credit: Beatvn
“Maybe the officers are big fans of The King: Eternal Monarch”, wrote Hà Chi inserting an image showing actor Lee Min Ho on horseback.
Not only does the new police cavalry unit add more variety to Vietnam’s existing police force, but it will also play a significant role in combating crime organizations in remote areas and carrying supplies to help the ethnic minorities in our country.
Besides, we don’t have to go all the way to Korea, China, or Europe to watch police officers parading on horseback. With our own police cavalry unit, we can feast our eyes on horse parades more frequently now.
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Cover image adapted from: VTV
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