Duong Minh, ambassador of Vietnam in Cuba. Photo: Yander Zamora

On December 2, 2015, Cuba and Vietnam celebrated 55 years of diplomatic relations.

Over the past five decades the two countries have made an example of their friendship. Admired by many, the ties that unite Cuba and Vietnam have stood the test of time.

To further discuss and discover the significant moments of this shared history, Granma spoke with the Ambassador of Vietnam in Havana, Duong Minh.

“This has been a special relationship since the beginning. When the resistance against U.S. aggression began in my country, the people of Cuba provided a great deal of solidarity and disinterested support to the Vietnamese people,” Minh noted.

Over the years, the island’s support for Vietnam has been demonstrated through various activities and events.

In 1963 the Committee of Solidarity with South Vietnam was founded, which later changed its name to the Committee of Solidarity with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. This organization, which was founded by Moncada heroine Melba Hernández, is now known as the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association.

“The committee played a leading role within the solidarity movement with the people of Vietnam during the war,” Minh continued.

The diplomat recalled that Havana saw protests against the U.S. aggression, together with “seminars, films, documentaries in support of our struggle,” and the collection of donations from the Cuban people.

The government of Cuba also helped in the construction of major works in Vietnam in the midst of the war, including the Victory Hotel in Hanoi, and a highway stretching over 40km close to the capital, vital in linking strategic points during the conflict.

“Our Cuban brothers also contributed to the building of the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail, used to transport food, medicine, arms and ammunition from north to south, and a 400-bed hospital in the midst of the conflict zone. That hospital saved the lives of thousands of soldiers wounded in combat,” Minh added.

“As if all these examples of support were not enough, the Cubans, together with the Vietnamese, shed their sweat and even their blood to build a better Vietnam,” he noted.

This was the greatest contribution of the Cubans to my country during the war, the Ambassador says. “The help from Cuba was selfless, efficient and relieved us somewhat of our huge burden at the time.”

FIGURES THAT SUMMARIZE 55 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP

Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro Ruz visiting South Vietnam in September 1973. Photo: Archivo

The Vietnamese people hold dear the words of Fidel Castro when he said: “For Vietnam, we are ready to give even our own blood.” His words are unforgettable and synthesize the deep feeling of brotherhood between our nations, the ambassador explained.

Important figures of the Cuban Revolution such as Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, Ernesto Che Guevara, Melba Hernández, Raúl Valdés Vivó and Marta Rojas, a journalist who spent time in the jungle with the Vietnamese soldiers, among others, summarize the sentiments that exist between both peoples.

“For us, Fidel is not only the (former) president of Cuba but also our president and the Cubans are our brothers, comrades in the same trench,” Minh expresses.

Following the difficulties and the achievements we've shared, a victory for Cuba is a victory for Vietnam and vice versa. This is a sentiment that can not be expressed in words, he adds.

After 55 years, our relationship is worthy of being a symbol of its time. With the will of the parties, governments and the efforts of the peoples, we are confident that this friendship has a guaranteed future.

AN INCREASINGLY STRONG RELATIONSHIP

The Vietnamese are eternally grateful to the Cubans. There is no better way to repay their efforts than to accompany them in the process of updating the economic model currently underway, Minh states.

“Our situations are similar as in Vietnam the work of renovation is being consolidated, initiated and developed by the Communist Party. In this new context, the bilateral relationship has greater challenges,” he said.

In the political field, the ties are excellent and are increasingly strengthened. Cuba and Vietnam are currently two of the few countries that persist in the process of building socialism. After the demise of the Soviet Union, there is no clear model of a socialist country, as such “exchanges regarding social systems are vital for our development and survival,” the diplomat explains.

“Our conditions are different and we can not mechanically apply experiences. It should be an exchange, but with creativity.”

Cuba and Vietnam have a strong political connection expressed each year with the highest level reciprocal visits. Contrary to this, the economic exchange last year was just $200 million dollars, as such both nations are immersed in substantially increasingly their commercial cooperation.

The potential for collaboration in the economic sphere is very wide. Vietnam has experience in agricultural development. Its rapid development is also evident in the sectors of information technology, electronics, telecommunications, construction and building materials.

“We want to share our achievements with the Cubans, who are a major force in education and public health; in addition to their record in biotechnology and tourism.”

In recent months many Vietnamese business people have visited the island, interested in establishing their businesses here. Thanks to this, it is expected that trade between the two countries will grow. During the visit of Ngyeng Tan Dung, president of Vietnam, to the island, projects for the exploration and exploitation of oil and the construction of a five star hotel in Vedado, Havana, were signed.

“We wish to increase the presence of the Vietnamese private sector in Cuba. Businesspeople are interested in the sectors of telecommunications, construction and materials, as well as other investment projects in the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM).”

The Vietnamese contribution to increasing rice production in Cuba has been considerable. With the help of the project for rice production, operating for over 13 years in almost all provinces, Cuba has been able to double its rice production yield from 2.5 tons to more than four. The objective of this agreement is to make the island self-sufficient in rice production and meet its domestic demand.

Economic cooperation between Cuba and Vietnam should be mutually beneficial, the ambassador recognized.

“We are willing to do anything for Cuba, so that together we can move forward on this path that we, the two peoples, have chosen, that of socialism,” he concluded.