Cuba wraps up activities marking Fidel’s historic visit to Vietnam

Havana (VNA) – The Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) and the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba held a ceremony on September 17 to conclude a series of activities across the country to mark 45 years since Fidel Castro’s historic visit to Vietnam.

Head of the International Relations Commission of the Cuban National Assembly Yolanda Ferrer, who is also President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association, recalled the wholehearted fraternity of the Vietnamese people when they welcomed Fidel Castro during his visit from September 12 to 17, 1973.

With this trip, Fidel became the only foreign leader to visit the newly-liberated area in the south of Vietnam during the resistance war against the US, she said, adding that the then Commander-in-Chief of Cuba showed his sincere admiration for the Vietnamese people, laying a new solid foundation for reinforcing bilateral relations.

Ferrer said in the past two weeks, chapters of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association across the country held many activities to celebrate this milestone and reviewed the priceless lessons left by late President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese people.

[Photos: Fidel Castro in South Vietnam liberated area]

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Nguyen Trung Thanh appreciated the concrete and practical actions that the Cuban people and the ICAP have taken to express and pass down the Vietnam-Cuba exemplary solidarity to future generations.

He said in the past, with the enormous support from international friends, especially Cuba, Vietnam weathered all difficulties to succeed in gaining independence and national reunification.

Nowadays, with their resolve to move ahead on the path to self-reliant development, the Cuban people will also overcome all challenges and groundless policies imposed by other countries to successfully build a prosperous and sustainable socialist Cuba, Thanh stressed, affirming that the Vietnamese people will continue supporting Cuba on this path.

Also on September 17, Thanh met with ICAP President Fernando Gonzalez Llort to discuss the two countries’ cooperation.

Earlier, the Organisation of Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America (OSPAAAL) also held a meeting to look back on Fidel’s visit to Vietnam 45 years ago.–VNA