VNHNO - During his visit to Vietnam 45 years ago, from September 12 to 17, 1973, despite the dangers and hardships of the war, Cuban leader Fidel Castro arrived in Quang Tri province, becoming the first foreign head of state to visit Vietnam’s freshly liberated land. The historic visit of Fidel, a close friend of the Vietnamese people, has become an eternal symbol of the brotherhood and faithful and close solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba.
While visiting Vietnam earlier this year, Cuban Hero and President of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), Fernando Gonzalez, affirmed that the Vietnam-Cuba relationship is a historic one that has been built based on the two sides’ efforts to overcome difficulties. Wishing to see the fierceness of the battlefield and the brave and indomitable fighting spirit of the Vietnamese people with his own eyes, President Fidel Castro, who served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Commander-in-chief of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces at that time, paid a visit to the Quang Tri fire frontline. After his historic visit in September 1973, the Cuban leader took two more trips to Vietnam in 1995 and 2003.
.jpg_pagespeed_ic_Y4SzWGQ3zr.jpg)
Students of the Vo Thi Thang primary school in Havana, Cuba.
With the noble ideal of fighting imperialism for peace, national independence, democracy and progress around the world, the Cuban leader’s visit left deep impressions and sentiments in the heart of each Vietnamese person and the Quang Tri locals in particular. The park named after Fidel Castro in Dong Ha city has been completed on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Fidel’s visit to Quang Tri, showing the special sentiments of the people in Quang Tri, as well as throughout Vietnam, to the Cuban leader. In Cuba, a series of events celebrating the 45th anniversary of Fidel’s historic Vietnam visit are currently taking place in many provinces and cities.
The State visit to Cuba by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, Nguyen Phu Trong, and a high-level Vietnamese delegation in late March 2018 reiterated the warm, intimate and respectful sentiments that the Vietnamese people are always willing to offer to the Cuban people. First Vice-President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Salvador Valdés Mesa, is paying a visit to Vietnam coinciding with the 45th anniversary of Fidel’s first arrival in the Southeast Asian country. The practical activities to mark such a special event have contributed to opening up a new stage in the relations between Cuba and Cuba.
At the recent Hanoi launch of a Vietnamese edition of his poetry collection, the Cuban hero, painter and poet, Antigua Guerrero, shared a famous saying by leader Fidel Castro, “Cuba is willing to devote its blood for Vietnam,” saying that it remains as true as ever. Forty-five years after the Cuban leader’s visit to Vietnam, such a spirit of sharing continues to inspire generations of people in the two countries. The connection between the past and the present strengthens the special trust and sincere solidarity between the two brotherly nations.
In 2018, Cuba’s parliament, Council of State and Council of Ministers for the new term have been officially announced. The revision of the Constitution, the most important document in the history of Cuba, is currently being implemented, aiming to speed up the process of updating the economic model, and inheriting and promoting the revolutionary legacy. Meanwhile, Vietnam is forging ahead with its comprehensive reforms and international integration, rising to become a modern industrialised country with a strong and sustainable rapidly growing economy. In the new period, the two brotherly nations maintain similarities in their positions on many international issues, unanimously support each other at multilateral forums, and believe in each other’s path of successful development.
The 45th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s visit to Vietnam’s liberated zone is an important event, helping to reaffirm the special friendship and close solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba, while helping the two countries’ people, especially the younger generations, get a better understanding of the history of the Vietnam-Cuba relations, which have been nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, leader Fidel Castro, and generations of the two sides’ leaders and people./.
