50th Anniversary of Fidel Castro’s Trip to Quang Tri Province to be Held

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolás Hernández Guillén (L) presents gift to a leader of Quang Tri province. Photo: VNA

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolás Hernández Guillén held a working session with authorities of the central province of Quang Tri on February 27 to discuss activities marking the 50th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s visit to the liberated area in the south of Vietnam (September 1973), VNA reported.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hoang Nam said Quang Tri always values cooperation opportunities with Cuba in agriculture and stays ready to welcome Cuban firms operating in culture, tourism, health care and education.

He said scheduled activities for the occasion include a State-level meeting in September, a Vietnam-Cuba photo exhibition, a seminar on the 62nd anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic ties and Cuban leader’s visit to Quang Tri, a floral tribute and tree planting at Fidel Park in Dong Ha city, and visits to relic sites where Fidel Castro arrived in 1973.

Cuban Ambassador Guillén, for his part, wished that ties between Vietnam and Cuba, and between Quang Tri and Cuba in particular, would be further tightened in culture, tourism, sport and economy.

On the occasion, the Cuban delegation also visited venues scheduled for the celebration.

The park named after Fidel in Quang Tri province was inaugurated in 2018 on the occasion of the 45 years since the Cuban leader’s visit to the liberated region in southern Vietnam.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s visit to the newly-liberated region in central Quang Tri province in mid-September 1973 has become a symbol of fraternity between Vietnam and Cuba. Source: VNA

Fidel Castro was Commander-in-chief of the Cuban revolution, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, and President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers.

He was the first foreign leader to visit the newly-liberated area in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Tri in September 1973. He was also a country leader who took the lead in international movements supporting Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and reunification, along with national development and defence.

Fidel’s visit to the newly-liberated region in central Quang Tri province in mid-September 1973 has become a symbol of fraternity between Vietnam and Cuba.

He also took the initiative in the international movement to support Vietnam’s struggle for national independence and reunification, along with its process of national development and defence.

At the Fidel Castro Park in the central province of Quang Tri. Photo: VNA

Cuba’s support for Vietnam has also been reflected through socio-economic establishments such as Thang Loi Hotel in Hanoi, the 50-km Son Tay-Xuan Mai road, Moc Chau Dairy Farm in the northern mountainous province of Son La, a chicken farm in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh and Dong Hoi Hospital in central Quang Binh province.

Between 1961 and 1975, Cuba presented about 50,000 tonnes of sugar to Vietnam each year and sent doctors to the country to care for war invalids and sick soldiers.

In a related news, the General Department of State Reserves had a working session with the Cuban Embassy in Vietnam to discuss and agree on the transportation, delivery and receipt of 5,000 tons of rice as gifts of the Party and State and the Vietnamese people to the Cuban people.

It is expected that the ship carrying 5,000 tons of rice will leave Vietnam’s seaport in March and is expected to arrive at Cuba’s seaport in May.

At the meeting, on behalf of the Cuban Government, Ambassador Orlando Hernandez Guillen sincerely thanked the gift from the Party, State and people of Vietnam to the Government and people of Cuba.