President Truong Tan Sang to visit Cuba in late September
President Truong Tan Sang will pay an official visit to Cuba from September 28-30 at the invitation of Cuban President of the State Council and the Council of Ministers Raul Castro.
Illustration Photo: State President Truong Tan Sang met visiting Cuban Politburo member and Vice President of the Council of State Salvador Valdes Mesa, in Hanoi in May 2015. (Photo: VNA)
President Truong Tan Sang will pay an official visit to Cuba from September 28-30 at the invitation of Cuban President of the State Council and the Council of Ministers Raul Castro.
The visit will take place in the context that the two countries are celebrating their 55th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (December 2, 1960-2015).
Over the past 55 years, the bilateral comprehensive cooperation and solidarity has continually developed. Cuba was a pioneer in the international movement to support Vietnam’s past struggle for national liberation and currently pays significant attention to boosting multi-faceted cooperation with Vietnam, particularly in agriculture, education, health, bio-technology, transport and sports.
Senior visits have been organised regularly, including the trips to Cuba by Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in 2007, President Nguyen Minh Triet in 2009, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong in 2010, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in 2012 and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in 2014.
Meanwhile, visits to Vietnam have been made by Cuba’s President Fidel Castro in 2003, Vice President Raul Castro in 2005, Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon in 2007, President Raul Castro and Vice President of the Council of Ministers Marino Murillo Jorge in 2012, and First Vice President of the State Council and Council of Ministers Miguel Diaz Canel in 2013.
Bilateral trade has also increased from 175 million USD in 2012 to 200 million USD in 2014. Vietnam mainly exports rice and consumer goods to Cuba while buying medicine and biological products from the country.
Following Cuba’s changes in its economic, investment and management policies, Vietnamese businesses are paying attention to investment in the Caribbean nation. Several companies have invested in tourism infrastructure, construction materials and detergent.
Vietnam has provided assistance to Cuba’s agriculture through household-based rice, maize, soybean farming and aquaculture projects. The two countries are also working on telecom cooperation between Vietnam’s military-run Viettel group and Cuba’s state-run telecom company Etecsa.
Huge potential remains to boost bilateral trade, offering chances for Vietnamese enterprises to seek investment opportunities in Cuba in construction, energy and food processing.
In addition, defence-security, education-training, medicine-pharmaceuticals, culture and science-technology are also priorities in their bilateral cooperation.-VNA
A discussion of five and a half decades of solidarity and cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba was held in Hanoi on September 10 on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the two countries’ ties.
Head of the Cuban Party Central Committee’s Agriculture-Food Department Santiago Perez shared the country’s policies on agricultural development with an official from Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.
Vietnam is willing to share experiences, provide research documents and send experts to exchange views on financial matters with Cuba, according to Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hosted a reception in Hanoi on September 18 for Cuban Minister of Finance and Prices Lina Pedraza Rodriguez, who is on a working visit to Vietnam.
President Truong Tan Sang will attend the United Nations Summit for the adoption of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and related events in New York, the US, from September 24-28.
The Vietnamese Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) will provide 50 computer sets for the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) later this month.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
The ASEAN flag-hoisting ceremony is observed by the 10 ASEAN member countries on August 8 every year, aiming to spread and promote the ASEAN identity and affirm the determination to unite and cooperate for the common aspiration of long-term peace and prosperity of Southeast Asian countries under the common roof of the ASEAN Community.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong highlighted ASEAN’s nearly six decades of development, during which the region transformed from division to harmony, from confrontation to cooperation, and from poverty to dynamic growth, becoming a global bright spot for regional cooperation.
Thirty years ago, on July 28, 1995, Vietnam’s accession to ASEAN marked a historic strategic decision, opening a new chapter in the country’s integration process and beginning its strong rise.
Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang has outlined specific priorities and proposals for cooperation with the UNODA in preparation for the upcoming 11th Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The Vietnamese Party leader's visit is therefore expected to mark a new stage in the development of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, with a focus on such areas as digital transformation, supply chains, semiconductors, clean energy, and maritime security, Choe assessed.
At their meeting, which took place in the Angolan capital of Luanda on August 7 as part of State President Luong Cuong’s ongoing state visit to the African nation, the two officials also agreed to make full use of existing cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Vietnam – Angola Intergovernmental Committee, and step up exchanges of delegations at all levels.
President Luong Cuong's talks with his Angolan counterrpart João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Vietnamese leader's receptions for a delegation from the Japan – Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance, and the Government's regular meeting for July are among news highlights on August 7 evening.
Illustration Photo: State President Truong Tan Sang met visiting Cuban Politburo member and Vice President of the Council of State Salvador Valdes Mesa, in Hanoi in May 2015. (Photo: VNA)
