Cuban journalist impressed by maturity of Vietnam People's Army

The Vietnam People's Army is considered one of the largest and most superior armies in the world . This is the assertion made by Cuban journalist and writer Luis Manuel Arce Isaac, a war correspondent in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Nicaragua, in an interview with a VNA reporter in Havana on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - December 22, 2024).

Rally, parade, and march to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2024). Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA

Mr. Isaac was particularly impressed by the maturity of the Vietnam People's Army. Only 8 months after its establishment, the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army developed into an all-people's army, launching the August Revolution led by President Ho Chi Minh. Thanks to that, the Vietnamese people won national independence on September 2, 1945, established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and continued the war against the French invaders, culminating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign. With its maturity and strength, the Vietnam People's Army achieved great historical victories at the Geneva negotiations in 1954, the Paris Peace Accords in 1972, defeated the US imperialists, and unified the country on April 30, 1975. Mr. Issac emphasized that the Vietnam People's Army achieved outstanding victories against the most powerful armies in the world such as France, Japan and the US. With its strength, experience, bravery and strategic capacity, the Vietnam People's Army today has become an elite and modern army. In addition, journalist and writer Issac also highly appreciated Vietnam's "4 No's" defense policy (No participation in military alliances; No ally with one country to fight another; No allowing foreign countries to set up military bases or use national territory to fight against another country; No use of force or threat of use of force in international relations). According to him, this policy is reflected in the readiness for defense cooperation - a pillar in the strategic partnership with the armed forces of many countries, including countries with different ideologies. Journalist and writer Luis Manuel Arce Isaac also praised the fact that Vietnam - a country that has just ended the war - has sent officers to participate in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission. According to him, Vietnam has always played an important and proactive role in the debates, resolutions and actions of the international community towards a better world, free of pollution and violence. The evidence is that Vietnam has actively participated and assumed many important positions in international organizations, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and has been elected twice as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member of the UN Human Rights Council (term 2023 - 2025), thereby contributing to protecting national interests, especially in maintaining and consolidating peace and security, creating a favorable development environment, promoting increasingly deep international integration and enhancing the country's position in the international arena.

Referring to the defense cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba, Mr. Isaac affirmed that this relationship has continuously developed, consolidated and diversified, contributing to the positive development of both countries. He shared his experience of the valuable cooperation between the two countries during the war, when Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro declared to the world: "For Vietnam, Cuba is willing to sacrifice its blood". Journalist and writer Issac was also honored to study war journalism in Vietnam with three other Cuban journalists. He said that the host and advisor at that time was journalist Hoang Tung, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, who spent a lot of precious time explaining to Cuban journalists about the history of his homeland, the life of President Ho Chi Minh, his career, the struggle for independence and the resistance wars of the Vietnamese army and people. Those experiences and feelings always keep Vietnam in his heart. Journalist Isaac was awarded the Friendship Medal and the Ho Chi Minh Badge by the Council of Ministers during the war. He served as Vice President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association for nearly half a century, was a journalist for the Scientific Commission on War Crimes chaired by Dr. José Antonio Presno Albarrán, who presented, among others, before the Russell Tribunal, the complaint about the carcinogenic effects of the defoliant known as Agent Orange sprayed by the United States on Vietnam and the use of other chemicals, napalm, and white phosphorus that harmed civilians. He published two books about the war, “The Chronicle of Vietnam”, which recounts the B-52 bombings of Hanoi and Haiphong in 1972, and “Three Decisive Battles”. Source: https://baotintuc.vn/phan-tichnhan-dinh/nha-bao-cuba-bay-to-an-tuong-truoc-su-truong-thanh-cua-quan-doi-nhan-dan-viet-nam-20241217194029460.htm