Cuban Delegation Honors 45th Anniversary of Fidel's Visit to Vietnam

Salvador Valdés pays tribute to Fidel in Viet Nam

Hanoi_ A Cuban delegation headed by the First Vice President, Salvador Mesa, visited the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital in the central province of Quang Binh, donated by Fidel Castro shortly after visiting this country 45 years ago, Prensa Latina reports.

Based in Dong Hoi, the capital of the territory, the institution was inaugurated in 1981 and, as Valdes said in a speech before its workers, it constitutes a monument to the permanent will of Cubans to share what they have with other peoples.

Since last April at the center, four Cuban doctors work and their contributions in knowledge and technology management are so appreciated, that the director of the hospital, Duong Thanh Binh, said that 'we want more professionals from Cuba and send our people there to get qualified.'

They were accompanied in the tour of areas of the hospital and other subsequent activities by members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Vietnam (PCV) Truong Thi Mai, president of the Friendship Association between the two countries; and Tran Quoc Vuong, as well as the Minister of Construction, Pham Hong Ha.

Later, in the same province, they crossed the Hien Luong Bridge over the Ben Hai River, which for a good stretch runs along the 17th parallel and marked until 1975 the boundary between the North and South portions of Vietnam.

Then Valdés and his companions visited an old enemy observation post in Dong Ha, the capital of Quang Tri. Fidel was also there in 1973, shortly after the Vietnamese took it, along with the remains of two American tanks.

The long day of this Friday continued in Dong Ha with a lucid act for the 45th anniversary of the first stay of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution in these lands.

The speakers agreed that during that visit Fidel Castro marked a milestone in the relations between two countries that despite the geographical distances have a lot of common history and expressed their support for the strengthening of their friendship.

Yesterday Valdés met in Hanoi with the main leaders of the Party, the Government and the Vietnamese State and tomorrow he will participate in Dong Ha in the inauguration of a square that will be named after Fidel Castro.