At the event, teachers and students expressed their deep emotions as they recalled the great contributions of President Ho Chi Minh and national hero José Martí—two outstanding leaders of Viet Nam and Cuba who played pivotal roles in their countries’ struggles for national liberation.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Quang Long emphasised the significance of holding the commemoration of both President Ho Chi Minh’s 135th birthday and José Martí’s memorial day in Ben Tre Village, located in the western province of Artemisa. He remarked that the event reflects the deep respect and admiration of the Cuban youth, particularly the teachers and students of Ben Tre Village, for the senior leaders of Viet Nam and Cuba.
Ambassador Le Quang Long noted that President Ho Chi Minh and José Martí, two of the most illustrious sons of Viet Nam and Cuba respectively, shared many common ideals—especially their patriotism, the ideology of liberation and independence for the nation, as well as the decisive role in the history of each country and the eternal ideological values honored and pursued by many nations in the world.
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| A photo display inside the Vietnam House in Ben Tre Village, Cuba. (Photo: Embassy of Viet Nam in Cuba) |
Ben Tre Village is a peaceful rural settlement in Cuba’s Artemisa Province, founded in the mid-1960s. Today, it is home to over 200 families and more than 1,000 residents. This resettlement community was established by Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro himself, who named it “Ben Tre” to honour the first province in southern Viet Nam to be liberated.
The heart of the village is the Vietnam House, the community centre of the entire settlement. The facility was constructed in September 1975 to celebrate Viet Nam’s liberation and national reunification, and was based on the idea of Cuban revolutionary heroine Melba Hernández—a close friend of Viet Nam and a lifelong supporter of the Vietnamese people.
