Acting on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Đức Phớc, the delegation led by Deputy Minister of Finance Lê Tấn Cận presented donation of 1,500 tonnes of rice from the Vietnamese Government and people to the Cuban people. — VNA/VNS Photo

HAVANA — Deputy Minister of Finance Lê Tấn Cận led a Vietnamese Government delegation to pay a working visit to Cuba from April 11 to 14, aiming to further strengthen the traditional solidarity, special friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, especially in terms of economics, trade and investment.

During working sessions with representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Trade and Investment, and Finance and Prices, and the Central Bank of Cuba, the Vietnamese delegation expressed delight at the fruitful development of bilateral relations across channels and areas in recent times, affirming that the Party, State and people of Việt Nam attach special importance to the special relations with the Latin American nation.

The Vietnamese guests showed their belief that the Cuban Party, State, and people will overcome all difficulties and challenges, continue to firmly move forward on the path of protecting peace and national development, and further promote Cuba's role and prestige in the international arena.

For their part, Cuban officials stated that the Cuban Party, State, and people always value and sincerely appreciate the solidarity and valuable support from Việt Nam over the recent years. They expressed admiration for Việt Nam's national defence and construction achievements, stressing that Cuba views Việt Nam as a successful model and hopes to share experiences with Việt Nam in many fields.

Deputy Minister of Finance Lê Tấn Cận meets with First Secretary of the Communist Party and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel. — VNA/VNS Photo

The two sides agreed to closely cooperate and implement several measures to continue strengthening bilateral relations, including promoting delegation exchanges at all levels, effectively implementing cooperation mechanisms and agreements between the two countries, particularly concretising high-level agreements made during the state visit to Cuba by Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm in September 2024.

The two countries will enhance experience sharing, and step up cooperation in all areas, especially in trade, agriculture, energy, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals; and closely coordinate in performing a series of activities in each country to celebrate the Việt Nam-Cuba Friendship Year 2025, and the 65th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties.

During their stay, the Vietnamese delegation paid courtesy calls to First Secretary of the Communist Party and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel, and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, during which the Cuban leaders conveyed their regards to Party General Secretary To Lam, State President Lương, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and other senior leaders of Vietnam.

The delegation laid a wreath at the statue of President Hồ Chí Minh, and visited the primary school named after Nguyễn Văn Trỗi in Havana, and toured several Vietnamese enterprises and projects in Cuba. They also attended a ceremony to hand over 10,000 tonnes of rice to the Cuban side as a gift during Lâm's visit to Cuba in September 2024.

Acting on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Đức Phớc, the delegation also announced a donation of 1,500 tonnes of rice from the Vietnamese Government and people to the Cuban people. — VNA/VNS