The close fraternal relationship between Vietnam and Cuba will continue to develop deeply and effectively.

With the solid foundation of the close friendship that has been forged and tested over the past 65 years, and with the high political determination of the leaders of the two countries, the close brotherly relationship between Vietnam and Cuba will continue to develop deeply and effectively, bringing benefits to the people and serving the sustainable development goals of the two countries.

Báo Nhân dân•02/12/2025

General Nguyen Trong Nghia, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, spoke at the ceremony.

On the evening of December 2, in Hanoi, the Cuban Embassy in Vietnam held a solemn reception to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic relations (December 2, 1960 - December 2, 2025).

Attending the ceremony were: General Nguyen Trong Nghia, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army; Comrade Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Party Central Committee member - Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Committee; Comrade Vu Hai Ha, Party Central Committee member, Deputy Secretary of the National Assembly Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Parliamentarians' Group, Chairman of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association; Comrade Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and representatives of Vietnamese ministries, departments and branches.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes emphasized that December 2, 1960 was the day Cuba and Vietnam established diplomatic relations. The special Vietnam-Cuba relationship was built on mutual trust, steadfast loyalty and sincere assistance. Countless noble gestures of the two peoples for each other have been engraved in historical memory, passed down to generations of leaders and people of both nations.

Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes said that 2025, the “Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Year”, has witnessed the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms through the Party, National Assembly, Government, defense-security, diplomacy and business channels. In particular, the regular high-level contacts and the historic visits of General Secretary and President To Lam to Cuba in September 2024 and First Secretary and First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez in September 2025 have created important momentum, opening a new phase of cooperation between the two countries.

New economic, trade and investment projects are being actively promoted by the two countries, along with rich social and cultural ties, contributing to deepening the special Vietnam-Cuba relationship in a volatile international context.

Expressing his emotion at the sentiments of Vietnamese organizations and individuals who joined hands to share with the Cuban people through the campaign “65 years of Vietnam-Cuba friendship” launched by the Red Cross and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes emphasized that in the fight against the embargo, Cuba has never lacked the steadfast stance and companionship of Vietnam, demonstrated through strong political, spiritual and material support activities.

“At a time 65 years after the historic journey that Cuba and Vietnam have written together and in the face of a world full of turmoil and challenges, let us renew our commitment to this brotherhood – a living testament that two peoples, united for the well-being of their peoples and for a world of peace, justice and prosperity, can do extraordinary things,” said Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes.

At the ceremony, on behalf of the leaders of the Party, State and people of Vietnam, General Nguyen Trong Nghia emphasized that the day of establishing diplomatic relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Cuba (December 2, 1960) was a momentous event, starting the special, exemplary relationship between the two brotherly nations of Vietnam and Cuba.

During the glorious 65-year history, the two nations have always accompanied each other, stood side by side, shared the good times and the bad, united and constantly cooperated, and fostered the relationship between the two heroic nations; becoming a priceless common asset of the two nations and a unique symbol in international relations.

General Nguyen Trong Nghia said that at the end of the 19th century, Cuban national hero José Martí wrote about the distant country of Vietnam in his work “Golden Age”, sowing the first seeds for friendship between the two peoples of Vietnam and Cuba.

President Ho Chi Minh and leader Fidel Castro - two outstanding leaders of the era, with their profound vision, laid the foundation and nurtured that friendship and solidarity with all their enthusiasm, intelligence and revolutionary ideals. The immortal words of the two leaders: "Vietnam and Cuba are thousands of miles apart, but the hearts of the two peoples are as close as brothers" and "For Vietnam, Cuba is willing to sacrifice even its blood" have been engraved in the hearts of every citizen of the two countries, becoming the guiding principle in the thoughts and actions of generations of leaders and people of the two countries.

During the fierce years of Vietnam's resistance war, when the young Cuban Revolution had just succeeded, the Cuban Government did not hesitate to be the first country in the Western Hemisphere to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam (1960), recognized the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (1962), established the Committee for Solidarity with Vietnam (1963), established an Embassy in the liberated zone (1967), sent thousands of engineers and experts to help Vietnam, and provided non-refundable aid for many key economic and social projects to help Vietnam rebuild the country after the war.

In particular, the image of leader Fidel Castro - the first and only foreign leader to visit the newly liberated Quang Tri province in Southern Vietnam (in 1973) amidst the flames of war, has become an immortal symbol of international solidarity, a living testament to the loyal and steadfast affection that transcends all normal diplomatic protocols.

Cuba is ready to share knowledge, experience, and valuable resources, and to accompany Vietnam in strategic yet extremely humane and practical fields such as education, healthcare, agriculture, architecture, and construction.

Thousands of Vietnamese students have been trained and matured by Cuba, bringing with them their sentiments, knowledge and revolutionary ideals to serve their homeland. Cuban projects to help Vietnam such as the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital (Dong Hoi), Moc Chau Dairy Farm (Son La), Luong My Chicken Farm (Hoa Binh), Xuan Mai-Son Tay Road, Thang Loi Hotel (Tay Ho) have contributed significantly to improving life, social security, and rebuilding the country in the context of Vietnam being heavily devastated by war.

As Vietnam entered the Doi Moi period, Cuba made efforts to overcome the “Special Period” and carried out the process of “Updating the Economic Model”, our two countries continuously supported and assisted each other and cooperated effectively and practically. While Cuba gave Vietnam many valuable livestock and crop varieties and especially Covid-19 vaccines during a very difficult time for Cuba, Vietnam also actively supported Cuba in developing rice production, aquaculture, coffee development, etc.; at the same time, we exchanged experiences and lessons on socio-economic development, national defense and socialism building in each country.

With the solid foundation of the close friendship that has been forged and tested over the past 65 years, and with the high political determination of the leaders of the two countries, the close brotherly relationship between Vietnam and Cuba will continue to develop deeply and effectively, bringing benefits to the people and serving the sustainable development goals of the two countries, actively contributing to peace, stability and prosperity of the two regions and the world.
General Nguyen Trong Nghia, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army

On this occasion, on behalf of the leaders of the Party, State and people of Vietnam, General Nguyen Trong Nghia expressed his deep respect and gratitude for the special friendship, solidarity, and generous, righteous and wholehearted support that the brotherly country of Cuba has given to Vietnam in the past struggle for national liberation and reunification, as well as in the current cause of national construction and defense.

General Nguyen Trong Nghia affirmed that the historic milestone of the State visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Cuba in September 2024 and the State visit of First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez to Vietnam in September 2025 opened a new, profound and comprehensive period of cooperation between the two countries. Today, the Vietnam-Cuba relationship continues to be consolidated and strongly developed in all fields: politics-diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, defense-security, economy-trade-investment, agriculture, science-technology, culture, education and people-to-people exchange, achieving many encouraging initial results.

General Nguyen Trong Nghia emphasized that in 2026, Vietnam and Cuba will hold the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the 9th National Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba - two important political events that will guide the future development of the two countries in the next 5 years.

General Nguyen Trong Nghia expressed his belief that, with the solid foundation of the close friendship that has been forged and tested over the past 65 years, and with the high political determination of the leaders of the two countries, the close brotherly relationship between Vietnam and Cuba will continue to develop deeply and effectively, bringing benefits to the people and serving the sustainable development goals of the two countries, actively contributing to peace, stability and prosperity of the two regions and the world.

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