The two countries also look forward to the 60th founding anniversary of the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with South Vietnam (September 25, 1963-2023).
Nhan Dan Newspaper’s reporters have had access to precious documents from historical witnesses of the two countries, recognising the deep feelings of Quang Tri Province’s people, who always have respect for the beloved President Fidel Castro, the first and only foreign head of state to the liberated area in the south of Vietnam.
The memory of leader Fidel Castro's appearance in the "fire land" of Quang Tri, just a few months after the Paris Peace Agreement was signed, and Fidel Castro's immortal words at the 241 Tan Lam Peak, “For Vietnam, we are even willing to give our own blood”, have been inspiring strong feelings of noble sentiments, a symbol of brotherly solidarity, closeness and loyalty of the two peoples, for peace, national independence, democracy and progress in the world among today’s young generation.
President Fidel Castro’s visit to Vietnam, memories will never be forgotten
50 years ago, on September 14 and 15, 1973, Cuban President Fidel Castro was the first foreign leader to visit the liberated area in the south of Vietnam in Quang Tri, when this land was full of gunpowder and bombs. His visit aimed to encourage the fighting spirit of the army and people of Quang Tri in particular and the whole country in general, towards achieving consecutive victories for the liberation of the South and national reunification.
This was a secret visit, so very few people know the full details of Fidel Castro's activities in Vietnam, as well as in Quang Tri.
Reducing the time of the visit to Vietnam by 2 days
José Miguel Miyar Barruecos, the personal physician of Cuban President Fidel Castro, has published precious documents about this special visit for the first time. The documents were printed into a bilingual book entitled “Unpublished Records of Fidel's Historic Trip to Vietnam in 1973”.
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Cuban President Fidel Castro, the first President of the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with South Vietnam (the predecessor of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association) Melba Hermandez, and Nguyen Xuan Phong, an official from the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, on a special plane from the Algerian capital of Algiers to Hanoi, in September 1973. (File Photo) |
On the morning of September 11, 1973, President Fidel Castro and his delegation boarded a plane from Algiers, the capital of Algeria, to New Delhi of India, after transiting in Baghdad of Iraq. Just after he got on the plane, President Fidel Castro talked to the delegation and Vietnamese people about his trip to the liberated area in the south of Vietnam. The plane landed at 4:01am (5:31am Vietnam time). Fidel and the delegation went to the Presidential Palace to talk briefly with the then-Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
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Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Guillen presented the book “Unpublished Records of Fidel's Historic Trip to Vietnam in 1973” and documents on Vietnam-Cuba relations to leaders of Quang Tri Province. (Photo: LAM QUANG HUY) |
At about 9:05am, assistant Orlando Fundora informed Cuban President Fidel Castro of the beginning of the coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende. Fidel Castro analysed the situation and determined that this event could pose a great danger to the delegation, so special measures needed to be taken. First of all, his stay in Vietnam would be reduced by two days, the next leg would be skipped and the way back home would be changed.
At 4:30am (6am Vietnam time) on September 12, 1973, the plane took off from New Delhi airport of India, carrying the delegation, and landed at Hanoi airport after 5 hours and 40 minutes of flight. President Ton Duc Thang and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong welcomed President Fidel Castro and the delegation.
In the afternoon of the same day, then Party General Secretary Le Duan hosted a reception for President Fidel Castro and the delegation from 6pm to 7:45pm. After that, the Cuban delegates joined a welcome party hosted by General Secretary Le Duan, which was also attended by Prime Minister Pham Van Dong. The party brought about an atmosphere of brotherhood, closeness and great friendship. At 9pm, President Fidel Castro and the delegation returned to the resting place.
On the morning of September 13, 1973, President Fidel Castro and his delegation visited the Ho Chi Minh Presidential Palace. Prime Minister Pham Van Dong gave explanations of each object and book of President Ho Chi Minh with great dignity and emotion to President Fidel Castro.
At 9:15am, Party General Secretary Le Duan and comrades in the Politburo held talks with President Fidel Castro and the delegation. After the talks ended at 11:40am, the delegates joined a lunch and rested. At 2pm on the same day, the talks continued and the delegation had dinner at 7:50pm.
President Fidel Castro and the delegation visited Dien Bien Phu Museum to talk with General Vo Nguyen Giap at 8:20pm. Then at 9:50pm, Fidel Castro went to the Cuban Embassy to talk to the staff and then returned to rest.
At 8:30am of the next day, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong discussed with President Fidel Castro the situation in the liberated area in the south, which could jeopardise the Cuban delegation’s trip. However, President Fidel Castro still decided to continue his visit.
During his visit to Vietnam in 1973, President Fidel Castro firmly requested to visit the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in Cam Lo District, Quang Tri Province, to encourage the compatriots and soldiers of the south. At first, leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam hesitated because of concerns about the security of Cuban President Fidel Castro, when the war was still raging. However, at the insistence of Fidel Castro, the Vietnamese leader finally agreed.
Special attention on President Fidel Castro’s trip
On September 14, 1973, the delegation went to Gia Lam airport at 9am to enter the liberated zone in the south of Vietnam, located in Quang Tri Province. The delegation was given special security. President Fidel Castro and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong sat in a closed car with special guards. A part of the delegation left first on another plane.
Prime Minister Pham Van Dong expressed the Vietnamese Party’s and Government’s attention to the special visit of President Fidel Castro.
With the fear that the enemy would try to assassinate the Cuban leader, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, President Fidel Castro and some people entered the AN-24 plane of the Vietnamese Air Force. At 9:35am, the plane started to take off from Gia Lam Airport and arrived at Dong Hoi Airport at 10:50am.
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Cuban President Fidel Castro and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong visited Dong Ha Township in 1973. (File Photo) |
At 11:10am, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and Cuban President Fidel Castro, who were protected by their bodyguards, left Dong Hoi in two cars. The rest of the delegation took the bus and arrived at Ho Xa Town of Vinh Linh Zone at 2:50pm on September 14, 1973. There were countless bomb craters here and all the bridges were destroyed. The people whose homes had been lost lived in great poverty, but all the fields were planted and tended, thanks to great efforts.
Leaders of Vinh Linh Zone, including Secretary of the Party Committee of the zone Tran Dong, Chairman of Vinh Linh Zone’s Committee Duong Ton, and Political Commissar of the Zone Vu Ky Lan, received the delegation.
Cuban President Fidel Castro presented Tran Dong with a beautiful box of “La Plata” cigars. Meanwhile, Tran Dong gave Fidel Castro and members of the delegation badges of Con Co and Vinh Linh. After a somewhat late lunch, Cuban President Fidel Castro and the delegation visited the cassava-growing areas of Vinh Linh people and chatted with Armed Forces Hero Le Van Ban.
The Cuban delegation stayed in Vinh Linh that night. They were given a secret accommodation with several wooden and bamboo cabins, and beds were placed in separate rooms. Fidel Castro stayed in cabin 2, which was a single and spacious room with a frame bed, a living room, painted bamboo curtain doors, floors covered with mats and beautifully decorated. The whole area is quiet and safe. Vinh Linh’s attention to the delegation was unbelievable and careful.
Extraordinary speech at 241 Peak
At 3:45am on September 15, 1973, Fidel Castro woke up. He and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong left Vinh Linh in two cars at 4:58, running along National Highway 1 to cross Ben Hai River by a pontoon bridge.
At 5:30am, the delegation was officially present in the liberated area of southern Vietnam on the southern bank of the Ben Hai River.
At exactly 5:55am, the delegation passed Doc Mieu to continue its journey through the Quan Ngang area of Gio Linh District and then into Dong Ha District. After that, they ran along National Highway 9 to 241 Peak in Cam Thanh Commune, Cam Lo District at 7:15am. A large number of soldiers of the Liberation Army and Quang Tri people welcomed the delegation.
Quang Tri Province’s people in particular and Vietnamese people in general will never forget the image of President Fidel Castro visiting and encouraging the soldiers and people of Quang Tri, despite all dangers and difficulties when this land had not been liberated completely.
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Defence Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, Lieutenant General Tran Nam Trung welcomed Cuban President Fidel Castro and the delegation. (File Photo) |
At 8:15am, Defence Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, Lieutenant General Tran Nam Trung presented President Fidel Castro with America’s M48 Patton that had been captured earlier.
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At Peak 241, Cuban President Fidel Castro held the traditional flag of the 304th Division in both hands and chanted: “Comrades, take this flag to liberate the South”. (File Photo) |
Cuban President Fidel Castro began his speech at exactly 8:44 am. This was an extraordinary speech. The sincere and righteous speech and eloquent voice of Cuban President Fidel Castro at Hill 241, were a great source of spiritual encouragement that promoted the will and strength of the Vietnamese army and people, to bring the resistance war against the US imperialists to a complete victory.
President Fidel Castro said that the Cuban people have watched the selfless struggle of the Vietnamese people day by day. For Vietnam, Cuba is willing to give its own blood.
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Quang Tri people welcomed the delegations of the Parties and States of Cuba and Vietnam, led by Cuban President Fidel Castro and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong to Peak 241. (File Photo) |
Fidel Castro finished his speech at 9:25am on September 15, 1973. Cuban President Fidel Castro walked amid thunderous applause.
At 9:43am, the delegation left Peak 241.
Continuing his journey, Cuban President Fidel Castro and his delegation visited the headquarters of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam. They had lunch and talked with the heroes. Fidel Castro was given many souvenirs including a recoilless gun, AR-15, personal rocket launcher and pistol.
Secretary of Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee Ho Sy Than presented a flag and special agricultural products, such as dried pepper, badges and rings, made from materials from downed US military planes, to Cuban President Fidel Castro.
At noon on September 15, 1973, the delegation left Cam Lo towards Dong Ha and ran along National Highway 1 to visit Doc Mieu. They left this location at 1:40pm and arrived at the southern bank of the Ben Hai River at 2pm.
At exactly 2:06pm, the delegation stopped on the northern bank of the Ben Hai River when they saw three teenagers in Vinh Thanh Commune (now Hien Thanh) injured by landmines and injured when they were working in the field.
President Fidel Castro asked his doctor to immediately take care of the injured, put them in the car of the delegation's medical department for timely aid, and then took them to Vinh Linh Hospital.
At 3pm on the same day, the delegation left the beloved land of Quang Tri to go to Quang Binh province. After returning home, Cuban President Fidel Castro often asked about the injured youths who were promptly treated by the delegation.
Cuban delegation’s visit to Ngu Thuy, Quang Binh
The delegation went to Ngu Thuy, Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province to visit the heroic artillery company at 3:20pm on September 15, 1973. Cuban President Fidel Castro and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong walk to greet members of the unit.
The delegation arrived at Nhat Le River at 5:47pm and then at Dong Hoi City to stay at the guesthouse. In the evening of that day, the Secretary of the Quang Binh Provincial Party Committee hosted a reception and a dinner for the Cuban delegation.
The next morning (September 16, 1973), Cuban President Fidel Castro delivered a speech to the delegates of Quang Binh Province, proposing assistance for the province to plan Dong Hoi’s new city and construct Dong Hoi Hospital (later named Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital). The Cuban leader finished his speech at 9:29am. Prime Minister Pham Van Dong extended his sincere thanks.
At 10:14 am on September 16, 1973, the delegation went to Dong Hoi airport. The plane numbered AN-1094, carrying the delegation, took off at 10:26am and landed at Gia Lam airport in Hanoi at 11:31am. General Vo Nguyen Giap and the leaders welcomed the delegation for lunch. On the afternoon of September 16, 1973, General Vo Nguyen Giap had a private talk with Cuban President Fidel Castro.
At 6:45pm on September 16, 1973, the Cuban delegation held a dinner party for Vietnamese leaders.
On the morning of September 17, 1973, Cuban President Fidel Castro signed a diary about his visit and talked with Prime Minister Pham Van Dong.
At 9:20am, Party General Secretary, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and many others saw off Cuban President Fidel Castro and the delegation to Gia Lam airport and then bid farewell.
At 10:20am on September 17, 1973, a plane bearing the number IL-18 took off, carrying Cuban President Fidel Castro and his delegation back home.
“We left the beautiful and heroic land. We will never forget the feelings we experienced during these days and the local people’s emotions. That solidarity and unity were always shown in the welcome, respect and reverence for our Commander-in-Chief”, said José Miguel Miyar Barruecos, the personal doctor of Cuban President Fidel Castro, to close his diary about this special trip.
