Vietnam - Cuba forever together

Although Vietnam and Cuba are half a world apart, the hearts of the two peoples are always close and beat together.

General Secretary and President To Lam met with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marreo Cruz on the afternoon of September 26 (local time) - Photo: VNA

The state visit, which is also the first visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Cuba, once again shows that extremely special affection.

At the invitation of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, President of Cuba Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez and his wife, on September 25, General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife arrived in the capital Havana.

Pure, loyal love

It has been more than 45 years since student Nguyen Viet Thao first set foot in Cuba. He has had many opportunities to return since then, witnessing the changes and developments in the neighboring country.

"Every time we think of Cuba, the image of a beautiful Cuba with a healthy society, a country with a pure proletarian international spirit, appears in our mind. It is also a brotherly country with a rare special affection for the Vietnamese revolution and people, for the Vietnamese leaders and people" - Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Viet Thao, former deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, emotionally recalled in a conversation with Tuoi Tre.

During the years when Vietnam struggled to unify the country with countless difficulties, Cuba, despite its shortages, still gave Vietnam not only great and solid political support, but also aided it with essential goods and supplies, including sugar, food, medicine, etc.

"Cuba also helped us find the necessary equipment to open the Truong Son road and the Ho Chi Minh trail to serve the resistance war. I still remember the immortal words of leader Fidel Castro: "For Vietnam, Cuba is willing to sacrifice its blood!", Mr. Thao shared.

But the bond and destiny of the two countries, according to Mr. Thao, existed long before that, sown by Cuban national hero José Martí in the 19th century. That was when Mr. Martí wrote the work A Walk on the Land of the Annamese.

Although he has never set foot on our country, he has a great understanding and special affection for this nation, believing that the people here will light the torch of national liberation, inspiring other nations.

The Cuban hero died on the battlefield against Spanish colonialism on May 19, 1895, at the age of 42. In Vietnam, on May 19, 1890, another great man, President Ho Chi Minh, was born. That coincidence, according to Mr. Nguyen Viet Thao, created another bond between the two nations.

"Until today, every May 19, Cuban people have activities to celebrate the dual anniversary of two national heroes of Vietnam and Cuba. Perhaps no other country in the world has such dual anniversary," Mr. Thao shared.

Motivation to stick

General Secretary and President To Lam and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez visited the Mariel Special Economic Zone - Photo: VNA

"We have repeatedly asked ourselves what is the driving force behind the strong, close and exemplary Vietnam-Cuba relationship?", Mr. Thao said. And he explained that it is because Vietnam and Cuba share the same ideal goals and revolutionary path, the path of development towards socialism from a humble starting point.

Today, the two countries continue to support and coordinate with each other, steadfastly on the path of national independence and socialism. This is the factor that continues to connect the two countries at a high level.

Sharing the same view, Dr. Ruvislei González Saez, Head of the Asia-Oceania Research Department at the Cuban Center for International Policy Studies, mentioned the assistance and solidarity between the two countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Cuba transferred millions of doses of vaccine and production technology to Vietnam.

"The visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Cuba this time is a gesture of great importance and profound significance. The trip took place not long after he assumed his new position, showing the respect for Cuba and the message that Vietnam is always by Cuba's side in difficult times," Mr. Ruvislei González Saez told Tuoi Tre.

He hopes the visit will contribute to further developing economic, trade and financial relations between Cuba and Vietnam to match the political relationship.

Ms. Ngo Phuong Ly visited Vo Thi Thang School

The wife of General Secretary and President To Lam, Ms. Ngo Phuong Ly, and Victoria Chu, a girl of mixed Vietnamese and Cuban blood, at Vo Thi Thang Primary School - Photo: D.LINH

On the morning of September 26 (La Habana time), the wife of General Secretary and President To Lam, Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly, visited Vo Thi Thang Primary School, which was founded in 1968. Also accompanying her was Mrs. Lis Cuesta Peraza - wife of First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez. In a solemn space of the school, many images and artifacts about Vietnam were displayed, especially the photo of Ms. Vo Thi Thang with a "victorious smile" in front of the court of the Saigon government. Together with Mrs. Lis Cuesta Peraza, Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly visited the computer room - a gift from Vietnam to the school during the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in 2018. Before leaving, the two wives met all the students and teachers of the school. The two ladies took a group photo, presented some gifts to the school and school supplies to the students. A Cuban child asked to hug and kiss Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly on the cheek. She happily agreed, kissed the child on the cheek and told him and his friends to try their best to study.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/viet-nam-cuba-mai-ben-nhau-20240927075702388.htm