Chairman of the Cuban National Assembly Esteban Lazo Hernandez (Source: radiorebelde.cu)

Since Vietnam and Cuba established diplomatic ties in 1960, bilateral relations have been steadily reinforced and developed. In 1973, President Fidel Castro was the first foreign leader to visit the liberated southern region of Vietnam. Cuba was the first Latin American country and one of the first nations in the world to recognize the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.

After the war, Cuba stood side by side with the Vietnamese people in the cause of national reconstruction and development, helping Vietnam to build transportation infrastructure, develop animal husbandry, and train human resources in agriculture, construction, architecture, medicine, and social sciences.

Cuba built the Thang Loi hotel in Hanoi, the Vietnam-Cuba Hospital in Quang Binh, and the Ba Vi breeding cow farm and the Luong My chicken farm in Hanoi. Cuba also sent experts to help Vietnam build the Truong Son road.

The two countries have promoted cooperation in inter-government committees, political consultations and dialogues on security and national defense.

Vietnam and Cuba have boosted cooperation and mutual support at international organizations like the UN.

Bilateral trade has increased in recent years exceeding 240 billion USD in 2016. Vietnam is Cuba’s second largest Asian trading partner. Vietnam exports rice, coal, chemicals, garments, textiles, and computers to Cuba and imports pharmaceuticals. The Vietnamese government has encouraged Vietnamese and Cuban enterprises to expand trade relations on a par with expanding diplomatic relations. Cuba wants Vietnamese enterprises to invest in food production, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, industry, tourism, and bio-technology, particularly at the Mariel Special Economic Zone. The Viettel Military Telecommunications Group of Vietnam has cooperated with Cuba’s Etecsa Telecommunications Company.

Vietnam has helped Cuba in rice, maize, soy bean, and aquatic production and has strengthened cooperation in security, national defense, education, training, culture, medicine, science, and technology.

Promoting parliamentary cooperation

The Vietnamese National Assembly regularly sends delegations to Cuba. National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong visited Cuba in 2016 and earlier this year respectively. The two legislatures have established friendship parliamentarian groups.

During their visit to Vietnam, the Cuban parliamentary delegation will study the role, function, apparatus, and activities of the Vietnamese legislature, especially of the NA Standing Committee, and share experience in renovation and national development.