Vietnam – Cuba Relations: Inheriting the past for future development - “Don’t worry, it’s Vietnam”

Vinh Linh District was the first place that welcomed late President Fidel Castro as he paid a visit to the liberated area in Quang Tri Province. Amid concerns over the security, Fidel said: “Don’t worry, it’s Vietnam”. His words proved a strong belief and trust in the people of Vietnam, and his arrival in Quang Tri is the most outstanding highlight in Vietnam-Cuba relations.

On September 14, 1973, the delegation of the Cuban Communist Party and the Cuban Revolutionary Government arrived at Le Thuy junction in Le Thuy District, some 40 kilometers from Vinh Linh District. Around 3pm on the same day, the Cuban delegation reached a foreign reception house in Ho Xa Town, where a crowd had gathered and given them an endless standing ovation.

At the reception house, President Fidel Castro did not rush to his room but walked around the facility and talked to the soldiers of Vinh Linh, including Le Van Ban, the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces. President Fidel also visited a cassava garden at Unit 4, Thuong Hoa Cooperative, nearby.

On his way back to the reception house 10 minutes later, he met some cooks in the kitchen. They were all happy and surprised to see Fidel. As he saw a bowl of boiled cassava on the table, he asked if the food was eatable, then took a piece of the cassava. The guards were worried, but he said: “Don’t worry, it’s Vietnam.”

Eighty-six Truong Dinh Than, former Secretary of the Party Committee at the Vinh Linh Administrative Committee office, had taken the secret mission to bring items for the reception. He had to drive on his own to Hanoi and return to Vinh Linh before 12pm on September 14, 1973. Than recalled that the Vinh Linh government had made a three-room wood cabin next to the reception house with two big beds made for President Fidel.

Eighty-year-old Le Thi Tho, the former official of Vinh Linh Reception House, said it was an honor for her to be one of those who cooked the meals for Cuban delegates. Emotionally, she said: “On the afternoon of September 14, 1973, we were announced that President Fidel Castro, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, and other delegates would stay at the reception house. We were all honored to welcome the officials to the place. The kitchen, the pots, and the food were all looked after carefully and closely. The dishes were checked and confirmed by the doctors before being served.”

On the night, the Standing Committee of the Vinh Linh Party Committee hosted a reception party for President Fidel Castro, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, and other Vietnamese and Cuban delegates.

Lam Kim Chi, now 62 years old, was the one who brought flowers to President Fidel. It surprised the 12-year-old girl as she had not been considered one of the potential flower presenters. “My father took me to the reception house and surprisingly told me to give the flowers to President Fidel,” she said.

The flowers moved President Fidel as he knew how hard it was for the Vietnamese people to look for the flowers. “It was until we got home that my father told me that the reception must be confidential, even the kid that gave Fidel flowers. My father also picked the flowers himself to assure the highest security level,” Chi said.

Recalling the moment when he shot the first photo of President Fidel walking down to the pontoon bridge to cross Ben Hai River for the liberated area on the southern side, photographer Si So remains emotional. “The headlights of the cars appeared around 4-5am on December 15, 1973. When they stopped, the provincial leaders came straight to the third one in the convoy,” he said.

“The door opened, and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and President Fidel Castro got out. I took the photos of them. These were the first shots about President Fidel’s visit to Quang Tri’s liberated land.”

Si So brought with him two cameras, and the shots were taken continuously. He wanted to capture every moment, which resulted in some 20 reels and 200 photos. “I was nervous when doing the edition. I carefully stored the photos, then selected the best 50 for later exhibitions and for my memoir in 2011,” So said.

To So and many people in Quang Tri, the moment when President Fidel landed on Base 241 was the most memorable. Base 241 was once the enemy’s artillery stronghold, so it was scattered with wrecked tanks and bullet shells. President Fidel raised the flag of the Liberation Army of South Vietnam. It was within these hallowed grounds that President Fidel Castro made an indelible declaration: “For Vietnam, Cuba is willing to shed its blood.”

“The image of President Fidel Castro stepping on the artillery portrays the brave, unbroken Vietnamese. I had to adjust the camera to capture his appeal and the background. In the photo, we can also see Prime Minister Pham Van Dong. The photo is quite an impressive product of mine,” he said.

From another angle, the Cuban president showed sympathy to the Quang Tri people when he was told how much suffering they had been carrying. When he was presented with local specialties, he became happy. These rare moments were all captured.

So he gave his camera, which was used in his entire career, to the Vietnam Press Museum in 2020. “The camera is like a historical witness, as it helped me capture very rare, one-and-only moments. As I have aged, I wanted to donate it to the museum so it would be stored in a proper way,” he said. The experienced photographer was then rewarded with the State Awards for the photos of President Fidel Castro visiting Quang Tri and of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Southern Republic.

New life at Base 241

Fifty years ago, Base 241 was covered with wrecked buildings and destroyed vehicles due to the war. President Fidel Castro suggested that the Vietnamese authorities need to rebuild homes, farms and plantations to recover. Now, Base 241 at Tan Phu Village in Cam Lo District’s Cam Thanh Commune is the provincial relic and becomes a prosperous land.

In April 2023, 99-year-old Nguyen Cong Doan and his son visited Base 241. He had the privilege of seeing President Fidel Castro visit Base 241 as the Chairman of the Cam Lo District Fatherland Front Committee.

A monument was built at Base 241 in 1992 to commemorate Vietnam’s victory in April 1972 and memorize President Fidel’s visit to the site.

In 2012, the veterans of the 304 Division and local authorities renovated and upgraded the monument with harder materials, depicting an American 175mm artillery being wrecked by the power of the Vietnamese Liberation Army.

Now, Cam Lo District continues to preserve the relic and arranges a total area of 2,000m2 for the site. This is the place where young generations learn about the heroic history of Vietnam and commit to defending the national sovereignty and flourishing local tourism.

Tan Phu Village now meets the tier-1 new rural standard, and the people and authorities strive for tier 2. The village is home to 107 families with more than 415 residents. Key economic activities are agricultural and forestry productions, which brought a per capita income of VND63 million (US$2,580) in 2022. Pepper is the village’s key plant and local people have sought for other plants in recent years.

Villager Nguyen Van Van said that his family has 1.4 hectares of durian, and the first crop is expected in two years. Another villager, Le Xuan Lam, said he has a herd of 70 goats. “The goats are raised in 6-8 months, then we sell them for a maximum of VND150,000 ($6.10) per kilogram. Thanks to them, we have a better life,” Lam said.

According to Cam Thanh Commune People’s Committee chairman Le Anh Chuong, other villages have also posted significant socio-economic improvements. Cam Thanh Commune locates in a mountainous area with 12 villages spanning nearly 4,400 hectares. Key agricultural produce such as pepper, peanut, and herbs meet the VietGap standads and are sold on e-commerce platforms to increase income for local people.

Tu Linh – Phuong Minh – Hoai Huong – Lam Thanh – Huy Anh

6:23:09:2023:09:14 GMT+7