During the sharing session, Phan Anh Son, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, highlighted the profound significance of 2025—a year marked by numerous key milestones for Vietnam. He noted that 2025 also serves as the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Year, commemorating the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Information sharing session about Cuba organized by the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations in coordination with the Cuban Embassy in Vietnam on March 26, 2025. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

In September 2024, General Secretary and President To Lam undertook an official visit to Cuba. Following agreements reached between the senior leaders of both nations, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations aims to provide accurate and insightful information about Cuba’s current situation and its socio-economic development strategy. This information is intended for officials engaged in people-to-people diplomacy within the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, as well as members of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association. The goal is to enhance their understanding, enabling the people's channel to initiate more programs and activities that strengthen the special friendship between the two countries.

During the sharing session, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes provided updates on Cuba’s current circumstances, highlighting efforts to overcome challenges and foster economic growth. He detailed initiatives such as expanding the private economic sector and attracting investments in key areas like agriculture, energy, and biotechnology.

Despite facing challenges such as embargoes, an aging population, climate change, and limited food and energy supply, Cuba has remained committed to its revolutionary path, focusing on innovation and promoting domestic production. The Cuban government has introduced various preferential policies, particularly in renewable energy, to attract investment and create favorable conditions for both domestic and foreign enterprises.

Highlighting the Vietnam-Cuba relations, Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes described it as a rare, loyal, and pure friendship in international relations. He commended the close cooperation between the two countries and emphasized the vast potential for further collaboration. In agriculture, Vietnamese enterprises cultivating rice in Cuba present promising prospects, with thousands of hectares of high-yield rice expected to be harvested by the end of 2025, addressing food security challenges in Cuba. In energy, Vietnam supports Cuba in advancing renewable energy initiatives, including a solar park project. In biotechnology and medicine, Cuba boasts advanced technologies, such as cancer treatment vaccines, and seeks technology transfer collaborations with Vietnam.

The Ambassador also underscored the importance of enhancing connections between localities in both nations to foster more substantive cooperation. He expressed hope that the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association at both central and local levels would act as a bridge to identify opportunities and strengthen local-to-local partnerships.

Delegates take a group photo. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Concluding the sharing session, Phan Anh Son, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, emphasized that Vietnam-Cuba cooperation is being carried out through various channels, ranging from high-level diplomacy to people-to-people exchanges.

He highlighted that, based on the shared vision of the two countries' leaders, numerous new cooperation initiatives have been implemented—and continue to be—on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Amidst rapid changes in the global and regional landscape and the new development stages of both nations, Phan Anh Son underscored the critical role of people-to-people diplomacy. Beyond traditional activities, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association will work closely with partners to strengthen connections among the younger generations and enhance awareness of the special Vietnam-Cuba friendship.

He further stressed the importance of adopting innovative, flexible, and result-oriented approaches to cooperation. Looking ahead, VUFO plans to collaborate with the Cuban Embassy in Vietnam to initiate more programs aimed at connecting businesses and localities in both countries, thereby laying a solid foundation for deeper and more substantive collaboration.

Nguyen Mai

March 27, 2025 | 11:35