We are brothers, our friendship has no boundaries

The delegation carried out many meaningful activities, showcasing the special relationship and enduring friendship between the two countries.

Meeting of warmth and closeness

During the long flight to Cuba, members of the delegation, some of whom had been to Cuba before and others visiting Cuba for the first time, shared a common feeling about the beautiful country of Cuba, with its poetic landscapes, warm, friendly, and hospitable people. The verses were from the poem "From Cuba" by poet To Huu, describing a man’s admiration of the beauty of Cuba, gently echoed in their mind.  

The warmth and friendship were evident upon the delegation’s arrival at José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba. Two-star General Víctor Rojo Ramos, Chief of the Political Directorate of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, along with the leadership and staff from the Political Directorate and the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Cuban Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINFAR), personally welcomed the delegation at the foot of the airplane stairs.

GDP's Chief Trinh Van Quyet (right) and MINFAR’s Minister Three-star General Álvaro López Miera

At the Council of State of Cuba’s Reception Hall at the airport, General Quyet and members of the Vietnamese delegation were deeply moved by the warm remarks from Chief of the Political Directorate of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, who spoke of his great appreciation for the Vietnamese Party, State, and military leaders and shared his unforgettable memories of visit to Vietnam. The words of General Víctor Leonardo Rojo Ramos, were filled with emotion and excitement, and Major Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Head of the America-Australia-Africa Division of the Department of Foreign Relations, the delegation’s interpreter, had to work at full capacity.

The Cuban official said, “Last night I couldn’t sleep, reading documents, then lying down, waiting for the delegation’s arrival. I felt very excited and a bit nervous.” He compared this to his experience two years earlier: “In December, 2022, I led a high-level delegation from the Cuban MINFAR to visit Vietnam. On the eve of our departure, I couldn’t sleep either, but the feeling then was different—sadness and regret because I had to leave Vietnam. I deeply appreciate the warmth and affection that leaders of Vietnamese Party, State, military, GDP gave to me.”  

The warmth and closeness continued when General Trinh Van Quyet and the Vietnamese delegation paid a courtesy call on First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. On that day, Díaz-Canel postponed some scheduled meetings with ministries to spend more time with the delegation. Originally, the meeting was slated for 6p.m., but the President arrived early to ensure everything was arranged perfectly, including the seating for the Vietnamese delegation and the place for the press.

The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Díaz-Canel highly appreciated the official visit of the Vietnamese delegation, emphasizing that it would help strengthen the special relationship between the two nations, which share a common history of fighting for national liberation and building socialism. He was moved when talking about the Vietnamese Party, State, and people’s deep affection to Cuba. Notably, the state visit by General Secretary, President To Lam, and his delegation to Cuba in September 2024 left strong impression on the Cuban Party, State, and people. Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez wished that the two militaries and the two political bodies of the military would continue to strengthen the special traditional relationship between the two countries that Cuban President Fidel Castro, President Ho Chi Minh, and generations of leaders of the two countries cultivated.

General Quyet extended greetings from the Vietnamese leaders to the Cuban side and thanked General Miguel Díaz-Canel for the warm reception. He assured the Cuban official that the Vietnamese delegation would work hard to preserve and nurture the traditional, sincere, impartial friendship between the two nations.

Indelible hallmark, deep and lasting impression

At the headquarters of the MINFAR, before the talks with the Vietnamese delegation, MINFAR’s Minister Three-star General Álvaro López Miera expressed deep admiration for President Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on people's warfare and all people’s defense. General Álvaro López Miera said, "In Vietnam, building an all people’s defense posture, all people's warfare based on President Ho Chi Minh's thoughts, deeply impresses us. We have effectively and flexibly applied “protecting the Fatherland is both the right and duty of the Cuban people” principle to Cuba. Imagine, when all people participate in defending the Fatherland, Cuba can be likened to a giant beehive, with soldiers of the armed forces compared to the aggressive black bees."

Upon receiving information about the visit of the delegation of senior political officers of Vietnam to the unit, officers and soldiers of various units of the Mobile Commando Brigade of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba made efforts to trim bonsai and plants, clean the paths, reinforce training grounds, and practice combat readiness scenarios. Remarkably, the preparation work was directly overseen by One-star General Noel Ochoa, Commander of the Commando Corps of MINFAR.

During the visit to the Mobile Commando Brigade, General Noel Ochoa served as an "orator," sharing his memories of his time studying in Vietnam and the affection of the Vietnamese people towards Cuba, which surprised and moved the members of the Vietnamese delegation.

In a loud, clear, and warm voice, the Commander of the Cuban commando force recalled, "In the 1990s, many Cuban officers came to Vietnam to study. At that time, I was training in Xuan Mai, not far from Hanoi. During my time in Vietnam, I visited the capital and historical sites connected to the revolutionary history of Vietnam. I was deeply impressed by the Cu Chi Tunnels, a shining symbol of the courage and determination of the Liberation Army of South Vietnam. I was also impressed by the Vietnamese people’s patriotic spirit and their dedication to work."

General Noel Ochoa asked the officers and soldiers of the brigade, then answered himself: "Do you know how the Vietnamese people feel about Cuba? Vietnam has developed, the life of the people is improving, but their affection remains the same, friendly, and hospitable. If you go to Vietnam and ask any local about Cuba (even if they have never been to our country), they will speak about Cuba as if they have been to our homeland."

In response to the Commander of the commando corps and the Mobile Commando Brigade’s heartfelt feelings about the delegation, Vietnam, and its people, General Quyet wrote in the brigade’s golden guestbook, expressing the hope that the brigade would always live up to the title "People with Steel Will", which was bestowed upon them by President Fidel Castro.

At Armored Division 110 of MINFAR, Colonel Roberto Cabreja, the Division’s Commanding Officer, introduced the delegation to the traditions and achievements of the unit. Notably, the division was awarded with the "Rescue of Sanguily" in 1995 and the Antonio Maceo Order in 2000. Colonel Cabreja said, "We deeply appreciate the support from our Vietnamese friends for the achievements we have made in recent years." To help the delegation understand better, the division’s commanding officer continued, "We have successfully applied the Vietnam People's Army’s methods of understanding and managing the troops' thoughts. This is a key factor in uniting officers and soldiers to overcome difficulties, improve training quality, and maintain combat readiness. Additionally, we have adopted Vietnam’s experience in self-sufficient production, which is a principle of 'adequate food makes strong soldiers.' As a result, we are proud that our division is self-sufficient in over 85% of vegetables, fruits, meat, and eggs."

While touring the High-Level Military Academy of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Vietnamese delegation was briefed on the academy’s education work by its President Two-star General Vicente Ramio Rodrigez. He introduced the training curriculum, which includes the contents related to the art of warfare. He mentioned that many effective battles and heroic examples from the Vietnam People's Army have been incorporated into the academy's research programs. "We greatly admire your military, the heroic force that has struck hard and won big," he remarked.

The official visit of the high-ranking political delegation from the Vietnam People’s Army to Cuba was a great success. The Vietnamese GDP and the MINFAR’s the Political Directorate agreed on many cooperation contents in party and political work. However, the most important outcome was the enduring friendship that transcends geographic distance and the strong belief in the continued development of the relationship between the two parties, states, and militaries, especially the relationship between the Vietnamese GDP and the Cuban Political Directorate. 

The delegation left Cuba on a sunny afternoon, each member was deeply moved and impressed with the Cuban troops and people’s sentiment that was hard to fade away in their mind.

By Quang Thang

Translated by Tran Hoai