April 30, 1975: The Day of Return - Part 5: There was a special day on April 30, 1975 in Cuba

President Fidel Castro shakes hands with Ambassador Vo Anh Tuan during the victory celebration in Cuba - Photo: Collection of Mr. VO ANH TUAN

When he was still healthy, every time we talked to him, we often heard him recount this event in a very emotional way, and he was a witness to it.

Witness of history

Recalling memories, the former ambassador with white hair at the age of nearly 100 often begins with the sentence: "I was not lucky enough to be present in Saigon on that historic day, but the atmosphere in the capital Havana, Cuba was just like my homeland. The people and leaders of the neighboring country filled the streets day and night to celebrate."

Mr. Tuan was born in 1927 in Tan Tao village, a suburb of Saigon, so this historic day, while he was in Cuba, felt like it was the day he "returned" to his homeland.

Going back in history, the former ambassador (who participated in the revolution since 1945, returned to the U Minh resistance base and then regrouped to the North in 1954) has had many important ambassadorial missions in many countries, since 1972 when he was appointed as the ambassador of South Vietnam in Cuba. From mid-April 1975, he had been informed that the final victory was near and was eagerly waiting for good news...

However, near the end of April 1975, while everyone was eagerly waiting for the news of "the happiest life of a revolutionary", Ambassador Vo Anh Tuan accepted the mission to go to the capital Lima, Peru to represent the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam to negotiate the establishment of diplomatic relations .

Mr. Tuan said: "The plan was that on April 29, 1975, I had to be in Lima, while the news was about the troops approaching Saigon. I had a diplomatic mission, so I definitely couldn't return home, so I wanted to be in Havana on the upcoming happy day of my nation. However, my mission forced me to fly to Peru."

Arriving in Lima at midnight on April 29 (due to the time zone difference with Vietnam), Ambassador Vo Anh Tuan received the good news that the war in his homeland had ended. The veteran ambassador could not hold back his tears of joy. The day he left Saigon to join the resistance in the U Minh forest, he promised to return in a few years. The day he said goodbye to the South to gather in the North in 1954, he also raised two fingers to his compatriots at the wharf in lieu of a promise to reunite in two years when the country was at peace . But this longing and expectation only came after 21 years of fierce bombs and bullets in his homeland.

"Our embassy brothers in Cuba reported good news, the people of that country are also jubilantly celebrating Vietnam's peace day. I wanted to return to Havana as soon as possible to celebrate but encountered difficulties," Mr. Tuan said, citing the flight as the main reason. His round-trip ticket was with Aeroflot, which only flies to Lima once a week. At this time, he was invited by the Cuban ambassador to Peru to the embassy to attend the "urgent" ceremony celebrating Vietnam's victory.

After the cheers and applause that echoed endlessly, the Cuban ambassador asked Mr. Tuan if he wanted to return to his embassy in Havana immediately?

Ambassador Tuan replied that it was his desire but he was stuck on a flight that had not yet arrived. His Cuban friend replied immediately that he could arrange it for him. He wrote a telegram to President Fidel Castro to request a special flight to help his Vietnamese friend return home to celebrate the happy day.

Mr. Tuan was very touched but had to refuse because the host country was also facing difficulties. After much persuasion, the host country finally found a ticket on Cathay Pacific that same day to help Ambassador Tuan return to Havana. And just over an hour later, he was flown to Mexico and transferred to Cubana.

On the way back to Havana, looking at the blue sea below the plane, the Vietnamese ambassador felt like he was returning to his homeland...

President Fidel Castro talks with Ms. Nguyen Thi Dinh in 1974 - Photo: Photo collection of Mr. VO ANH TUAN

Happy Days in Havana

When the plane landed, April 30, 1975 had gradually passed according to the time zone of the host country, but Ambassador Vo Anh Tuan was still overwhelmed and moved by the atmosphere of cheering and joy throughout the island nation of Cuba. From high-ranking leaders to officials at all levels of government and people flooded the streets to celebrate Vietnam's victory.

The joyful atmosphere lasted from night to day and from day to night, for several weeks without stopping.

The embassy staff welcomed Mr. Tuan and said that around midnight on April 29, 1975 (nearly noon on April 30 in Vietnam), they suddenly received a very excited phone call from the head of the Press Department, Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs : "Saigon has been liberated. Have you heard the news? I have to report to Fidel right now."

Everyone cheered, the brothers cheered with joy, and many people shed tears. The long resistance war had come to this day. The truth that some people still thought they were dreaming...

The country's situation had just ended the war and the diplomatic mission at that time made it impossible for Ambassador Vo Anh Tuan and his brothers to return home, but they decided to organize a "return day" to celebrate right in the capital of the neighboring country. The joyful atmosphere was something they had never experienced in their lives.

Mrs. Melba, President of the Solidarity Committee with Vietnam, led the first delegation to share the joy. Hundreds of meters away from the embassy, ​​they sang revolutionary songs...

Mrs. Melba confided that Havana had not slept for several nights to share in the joy of the friendly country. Then, one delegation after another, from the central government to the provinces of Cuba, gathered to celebrate with the Vietnamese embassy. President Fidel Castro quickly decided to turn the May 1st International Labor Day into a huge and prolonged rally to celebrate Vietnam's great victory.

Many officials and people of the neighboring country also came to the embassy to join in organizing the celebration, many flags, trees and tables and chairs were also brought in. The neighboring side even planned to organize fireworks, but Ambassador Tuan persuaded them to replace it with "homegrown" cultural programs because Cuba was also facing difficulties at that time.

From April 30 to the end of May 1975, the embassy was constantly flooded with visitors. On the evening of May 21, there was a solemn reception at the Embassy of South Vietnam.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Solidarity Committee of the host country proposed to coordinate the "organization" but in fact they were enthusiastic about taking care of it from start to finish because the embassy's circumstances at that time could not organize such a grand ceremony.

You were so meticulous that you took the Vietnamese embassy staff to the flower garden to choose the tree they liked to decorate the ceremony. You also sent four of Cuba's largest art troupes to perform. The number of groups requesting to attend the victory celebration grew, exceeding the embassy grounds. The Cuban leaders quickly and flexibly provided an additional adjacent villa with a large garden that could accommodate thousands of people.

Recalling the unforgettable memories many years later, Ambassador Vo Anh Tuan still clearly remembers that on the evening of May 21, 1975, President Fidel Castro arrived very early to shake hands with each Vietnamese friend present at the embassy. Then, instead of only being there for about 30-45 minutes as is the diplomatic practice of heads of state, he happily stayed until almost midnight to drink Lua Moi wine with everyone and eat spring rolls, the dishes he loved very much...

It was not until after 3am that the ceremony celebrating Vietnam's victory and peace ended, but the next morning other delegations continued to come to share the joy...

At the reception at the embassy of South Vietnam, President Fidel Castro humorously smiled and said: "If I had known that tonight I would be treated to such delicious dishes, I would not have eaten lunch to save room...". He also said he hoped to visit peaceful Vietnam again one day.

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After April 30, 1975, a son went to the North to participate in the Dien Bien Phu campaign and returned to the South to visit his father, the former president of the Republic of Vietnam.

>> Next: Father, son and peace

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