Local people welcome Cuban first lady Lis Cuesta Peraza at Ngọc Sơn Temple in Hà Nội on Monday. —VNA/VNS Photos Văn Điệp

HÀ NỘI — Ngô Phương Ly, spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm, and Lis Cuesta Peraza, spouse of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, enjoyed a traditional water puppet performance and visited Ngọc Sơn Temple in Hà Nội on Monday.

The activity form part of a state visit to Việt Nam by the Cuban couple, who will also attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Việt Nam's National Day.

At the Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre, the Cuban first lady and her entourage were introduced to the centuries-old folk art form, rooted in Việt Nam’s wet-rice culture.

They watched performances selected from Việt Nam’s repertoire of nearly 400 water puppet plays.

Lis Cuesta Peraza expressed her appreciation for the hospitality of Ly and the Vietnamese artists, noting that the performances helped her better understand the art of water puppetry imbued with Vietnamese folk culture.

She expressed her hope that in the future, Vietnamese puppeteers will visit Cuba to share this traditional art with Cuban audiences.

Cuban first lady Lis Cuesta Peraza enjoys the Vietnamese water puppet art.

Recalling her visit in 2024 to El Arca Puppet Museum in Havana with Lis Cuesta Peraza, Ly said both Việt Nam and Cuba possess distinctive puppet traditions, adding that she hopes her guest will have chances to learn more about Việt Nam's puppetry during future visits.

After that, the two ladies walked to Ngọc Sơn Temple on Hoàn Kiếm Lake, a favourite cultural site of Hanoians and visitors alike.

Their appearance drew warm greetings and applause from crowds of holidaymakers who gathered around the pedestrian streets decorated with flags and banners for the National Day.

Many shouted “Viva Cuba, Viva Việt Nam” and “Việt Nam – Cuba” in celebration of the enduring friendship between the two nations.

At Ngọc Sơn Temple, they offered incense, learned about the history and legends of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, and viewed the preserved giant turtle specimen.

On Thê Húc Bridge, they admired the iconic Turtle Tower and Hà Nội’s autumn landscape.

Cuban first lady Lis Cuesta Peraza is gifted calligraphy work from a local scholar at Ngọc Sơn Temple.

The Cuban first lady was delighted to receive a calligraphy work reading “Peace” from a local scholar. — VNA/VNS