The honour recognises the two Vietnamese former students for their significant contributions to promoting the special friendship between the two countries.
As Vice President of the Viet Nam-Cuba Friendship Association and Chairwoman of the Club of Vietnamese Alumni Who Studied in Cuba, 76-year-old Phuong Song Lien has actively mobilised and organised numerous people-to-people initiatives to support and strengthen solidarity between the two countries.
Nguyen Xuan Phong (82) is a veteran diplomat and a member of Viet Nam’s first generation of Spanish-language interpreters. He has interpreted at numerous high-level meetings, most notably during the historic visit by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro to the liberated area of Quang Tri.
At the ceremony, both former students expressed their emotion and pride at receiving the prestigious honour from the Party and State of Cuba. Representing generations of Vietnamese students who have studied in Cuba, Phuong Song Lien said her voluntary activities had been motivated solely by a desire to contribute to Viet Nam’s people-to-people diplomacy and promote the special friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and Cuba.
Cuban Ambassador to Viet Nam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes said the decision by the president of Cuba to award the Friendship Medal was a fitting recognition of the contributions made by Phuong Song Lien and Nguyen Xuan Phong.
The event was particularly meaningful as it coincided with the 100th anniversary of the birth of leader Fidel Castro and the 65th anniversary of the arrival in Cuba of Viet Nam’s first group of students.
Originating from an initiative by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and the governments of the two countries, the first group of 23 Vietnamese students arrived in Havana in the autumn of 1961. Over the past 65 years, Cuba has helped train around 1,300 Vietnamese students.
They have gone on to form a highly qualified workforce in key fields including medicine, higher education, physical education and sport, and the basic sciences. Many former students subsequently became key officials, taking on important positions in Viet Nam’s state apparatus and diplomatic service.
Today, despite facing numerous difficulties, the Cuban government continues to provide full scholarships for Vietnamese young people each year.
