Nguyen Xuan Phong, former Director General of the Americas Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Melba became a Vietnamese mother

If National Hero José Martí planted the seed of Cuba's love for Vietnam, then the triumph of the Cuban Revolution under Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro in 1959 allowed that seed to take root. It was Melba Hernández, together with the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with South Vietnam and Cuba's political and mass organizations, who nurtured that seed, enabling the tree of Cuba-Vietnam solidarity to grow, blossom, and bear fruit as it does today.

Through her tireless dedication and deep affection for Vietnam, Melba truly became a Vietnamese mother. This carries two meanings: she embodied the same love, devotion, and spirit of self-sacrifice that Vietnamese mothers have always shown for their homeland; at the same time, she became a mother figure to generations of Vietnamese who lived, studied, and worked in Cuba.

We always called her “Mami Melba.” She also learned Vietnamese. Whenever she met Vietnamese students, she would affectionately call out, “My children, my children.”

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, together with diplomats, former Vietnamese students in Cuba, and delegates, visits an exhibition on Cuban revolutionary heroine Melba Hernández and Vietnam. (Photo: KT)

Phuong Song Lien, Vice President of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association:

Mother Melba was kind and warm

I went to Cuba in 1967 and met Melba during those years. All Vietnamese students there called her “Mami Melba” - Mother Melba. She was always approachable and deeply concerned about the lives and difficulties of Vietnamese students.

At that time, the war in Vietnam was at its fiercest. Letters sent from Vietnam to Cuba sometimes took six to nine months to arrive. Whenever we heard that Hanoi had been bombed, we worried constantly about our families, yet had no way of knowing what was actually happening.

Understanding the feelings of young people living far from home, Mother Melba would organize gatherings and celebrations for Vietnamese students during the Lunar New Year and the New Year holiday. On one occasion, she arranged a gathering on Miramar Beach, where we could spend time together, talk, and ease our homesickness.

Every time she met us, she would ask, “How are you, my children? Is there anything wrong? Are you facing any difficulties?” Whenever a student needed help, she was always ready to find a way to assist.

On one occasion, a student confided in her about a romantic relationship, at a time when such matters were viewed rather strictly. After listening, she simply smiled and remarked, in essence, that there was nothing wrong with two heroic bloodlines coming together.

To us, Melba was kind, warm, and open-hearted. She was not only a political activist but truly a loving mother to generations of Vietnamese students in Cuba.

From left: Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Viet Thao, Nguyen Xuan Phong, and Nguyen Nam Lien at the memorial ceremony. (Photo: KT)

Captain Nguyen Nam Lien, son of journalist-diplomat Ly Van Sau:

Mother Melba presented us with Fidel's gift

I arrived in Cuba when I was just two years old. My father, journalist and diplomat Ly Van Sau, was a close friend of Melba Hernández. Even in the final days of his life, he reminded his children: “You must always be grateful to Cuba.”

Although I was very young at the time, I still remember the solidarity campaigns for Vietnam across Cuba, the places named Ben Tre Village and Nguyen Van Troi, and the affection that the Cuban people showed to Vietnamese living far from home.

On the day my sister and I left Cuba to return to Vietnam, it was Melba herself who presented us with two gifts from Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro: two Cuban soldiers' backpacks and military uniforms tailored to fit us perfectly. My own jacket even bore the shoulder insignia of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro.

Through those gifts, Fidel sent us a message: carry the spirit of Fidel and the Cuban people back to Vietnam, and continue the struggle until victory.

I still keep the photograph capturing the moment when Mother Melba handed us those gifts. It is a treasured keepsake that has reminded me throughout my life of the affection that Melba, Fidel, and the Cuban people bestowed upon Vietnam.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Viet Thao, Standing Vice President of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association:

The story of a Cuban named Hanoi

Three years ago, during a business trip to Cuba, I met a young receptionist while checking out of my hotel. He cheerfully told me, “Sir, my name is Hanoi.”

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Viet Thao photographed the identity card of the Cuban hotel receptionist named “Hanoi.” (Photo: KT)

I was quite surprised and asked if I could see his identity card. His full name was Hanoi Pérez Martínez. I asked whether either of his parents had ever been to Vietnam. He replied that neither of them had.

For those of us who studied in Cuba, it is not uncommon to encounter Cubans with Vietnamese names. Even so, I wanted to know what had inspired his family to choose the name Hanoi.

When I asked what had inspired his parents to give him that name, the young man answered without hesitation: “Melba Hernández.”

That story shows that the seeds of affection sown by Mother Melba live on not only in the memories of our generation. They have been passed down through Cuban families and continue to flourish among younger generations who have never even set foot in Vietnam.

Vietnam, Cuba Promote People-to-People Exchanges and Local-Level Cooperation On June 3, the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) held an online meeting to review the results of their cooperation in recent years and discuss directions for collaboration in the 2026-2031 period. The two sides agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges, cooperation between localities, education for younger generations about the special Viet Nam-Cuba friendship, and coordination of activities marking the 100th birth anniversary of Leader Fidel Castro.

Commemorating “A Truly Special Friend of Vietnam” As the founding Chairwoman of the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with South Vietnam, revolutionary heroine Melba Hernández brought together Cuba’s political organizations, mass organizations, government agencies, and ministries, helping spread support for Vietnam throughout Cuban society and onto the international stage.