The first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Raúl Castro, and President Miguel Díaz-Canel sent congratulatory messages to their Vietnamese counterparts on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the country’s independence.

“I am convinced that Cuba and Vietnam will continue to consolidate the historical ties of brotherhood and cooperation that have characterized our relations,” reads the letter sent by Raúl Castro to the secretary general of the Communist Party and President of the country, Nguyen Phu Trong.

For his part, the President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers reaffirmed to Phu Trong "the will to continue strengthening the historic ties of brotherhood, solidarity, and cooperation between our peoples, parties and governments.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez likewise conveyed his “cordial congratulations” to Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, reiterating Cuba´s interest in consolidating collaboration between the two foreign ministries.

The Cuban leaders’ messages were among the first to arrive for the celebration.

On September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence in the capital city of Ba Dinh, with the defeat of French colonialism.However, the nation was obliged to fight another 30 years, and sacrifice the lives of millions, to defeat the United States invasion and reunify the country.