Cuba in the heart of Vietnam

SGGP 09/26/2023 06:09

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Cuban President Fidel Castro's historic visit to the liberated area of ​​Quang Tri (1973-2023), SGGP Newspaper would like to introduce an article by Master Ariadne Feo Labrada, Consul General of Cuba in Ho Chi Minh City.

Great support

In a speech to Vietnamese leaders during his visit to Vietnam in September 1973, Cuban leader Fidel Castro expressed: “Vietnam teaches all oppressed and exploited peoples an unforgettable lesson. No liberation movement, no independence fighters have had to wage such a long and heroic struggle as the Vietnamese people...”.

Fidel was the only head of state to visit the liberated zone in South Vietnam and he fulfilled his long-cherished wish. His presence certainly showed the world that Vietnam was not alone and affirmed the unconditional support of the Cuban people...

Ten years before Fidel visited Quang Tri, on September 25, 1963, the Cuban Solidarity Committee with Vietnam was established in Cuba, headed by the heroine of Moncada, Melba Hernández. This was an event of great political significance in the history of relations between the two countries, and this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Cuban Solidarity Committee with Vietnam.

During the difficult times of the war against the United States, the Cuban Solidarity Committee with Vietnam and the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association contributed to breaking the silence of international public opinion about war crimes in Vietnam. Cuba was also the first country to have an ambassador to the Provisional Government of South Vietnam.

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro always reminded the Cuban people that the struggle of the Vietnamese people was not only for Vietnam’s own independence but also for the world revolutionary movement. Vietnam is an example and a source of encouragement for the Cuban people.

Over the past six decades, the leaders of the Party and Government of Vietnam and Cuba have maintained and strengthened the special political relationship, solidarity and cooperation - which are the characteristics of the relationship between the two peoples. Diplomatic relations were established on December 2, 1960, from the beginning under the direction of leaders Ho Chi Minh and Fidel Castro Ruz.

Not only is it the relationship between the two Parties, the two States, or the economic - commercial - social relationship, but we are also united by the spirit of independence and anti-imperialism. José Julián Martí Pérez - the Cuban national hero, was the first person to bring us closer to Vietnamese culture and history in the story Wandering through the land of the Anamites published in the magazine La sangre de Oro in 1889.

The relationship has been increasingly expanded in many areas of cooperation despite distance and economic difficulties. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the two sides supported each other in coping with the pandemic by exchanging experiences and donating vaccines and medical supplies. Vietnam is Cuba's second largest trading partner and the largest foreign investor in Asia and Oceania.

In the political field, high-level visits and exchanges between representatives of various political organizations and the masses are maintained. Recently, notable are the visits to Vietnam by Politburo member and Prime Minister of Cuba Manuel Marrero Cruz in October 2022 and Politburo member and Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Cuba Roberto Morales Ojeda in April 2023, as well as other visits.

From Vietnam, there are a number of high-level delegations visiting Cuba, such as the delegation led by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to visit Cuba in April 2023; the delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to visit Cuba and attend the Group of 77 and China Summit in September 2023... In all forums, Vietnam has always affirmed the request to lift unilateral embargo measures against Cuba. This is something that Cuba highly appreciates.

The prominent role of Ho Chi Minh City

Another notable event was that on August 3, 1982, Cuba opened its Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. Since then, the relationship between Cuban localities and Ho Chi Minh City has developed in many fields. We can affirm that Ho Chi Minh City and Cuba have continued to enrich their political relationship, solidarity and cooperation in a number of fields such as culture, education, health, construction and agriculture.

Party and political relations have been strengthened through established dialogues with delegation exchanges from both sides. The successful visit to Cuba by Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council Nguyen Thi Le and the visit by Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union this year are the most typical examples. Youth organizations of Ho Chi Minh City and Havana are implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on exchanging experiences and establishing friendly relations signed in July 2022 in the Cuban capital.

Consul General of Cuba in Ho Chi Minh City Ariadne Feo Labrada (center, front row) at the announcement and launch of the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Association, the Liaison Committee of Veterans' Tradition of Battalion 261 - Giron in Ho Chi Minh City in August 2023

People-to-people exchange continues to be enhanced through the activities of the Representative Office of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations (HUFO) and the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Association.

Several trade and investment promotion seminars have been jointly organized by the Cuban Consulate General, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITCP). Several Vietnamese companies based in Ho Chi Minh City maintain trade relations and investment projects in Cuba. Among them, Thai Binh Company is a pioneer in the field of trade and investment with more than 25 years of presence in the Cuban market.

Learning from the experiences that Ho Chi Minh City has gained in developing high-tech agriculture, food production, construction materials, tourism, using renewable energy, attracting foreign direct investment, and many other fields is very important for Cuba. On the other hand, Ho Chi Minh City and the Cuban Consulate General also coordinate and cooperate well in many fields.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/cuba-giua-long-viet-nam-post707076.html