A ceremony was held in the southern province of Ben Tre on July 21 to mark the 60th anniversary of the armed attack on the Moncada Military Barracks which kick-started the Cuban Revolution. 

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Predesman Turro Gonzalez attended the event, which was co-organised by the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association (VCFA) and Ben Tre provincial People’s Committee. 

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Vo Thanh Hao emphasised that the attack on July 26, 1953 , by a group of 135 young patriots led by lawyer Fidel Castro ushered in an armed struggle for independence and freedom of the island nation. 

Hao said a village in Ben Tre province was named after Moncada as a symbol of the solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba . 

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Gonzalez said the assault was a milestone in the Cuban armed revolution, which enabled his country to reach various socio-economic achievements. 

He stressed that the Vietnam-Cuba friendship, established during the two countries’ struggles for national independence, will be further developed in the coming time.-VNA