On August 27 in Hanoi, the Embassy of Cuba in Vietnam held a ceremony to present the Friendship Medal to Phuong Song Lien, former Director of the National Veterinary Diagnostic Center, Vice President of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association, and Chairwoman of the Club of Vietnamese Alumni in Cuba, and Nguyen Xuan Phong, former Director General of the Americas Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a member of the Association.

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes said the ceremony was held to recognize the lifelong contributions of the two Vietnamese friends to Cuba-Vietnam solidarity and friendship. The medals were awarded pursuant to a decree by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, based on a proposal by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes with Phuong Song Lien and Nguyen Xuan Phong at the Friendship Medal ceremony in Hanoi on August 27, 2026. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

Bringing together alumni and mobilizing support for Cuba

Phuong Song Lien went to Cuba in 1967 to study veterinary medicine at the University of Havana. Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes said that over the years, she had made significant contributions to bringing together hundreds of Vietnamese who had studied in Cuba and maintaining close bonds among the alumni.

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes presents the Friendship Medal of the Cuban State to Phuong Song Lien. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

As Vice President of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association and Chairwoman of the Club of Vietnamese Alumni in Cuba, she has participated in initiatives to introduce the history and culture of the two countries and relations between their peoples, while encouraging solidarity and support for Cuba among different segments of the Vietnamese population.

Upon receiving the Friendship Medal, Phuong Song Lien said that the honor was not hers alone, but also belonged to the Club of Vietnamese Alumni in Cuba as a collective, as well as to the previous generations who had established the Club.

She said that the work she had undertaken over the past several decades was first and foremost an expression of gratitude to Cuba and its people, where she and many generations of Vietnamese students had been educated, cared for and supported. In her view, these voluntary activities in support of Cuba also represented her personal contribution to Vietnam's people-to-people diplomacy, particularly in relations with Cuba.

Engaging in foreign affairs, interpretation and preserving materials

Nguyen Xuan Phong went to Cuba to study in 1963. According to him, he spent a total of 17 years studying and working in Cuba, including his studies at the University of Havana, his work as a foreign affairs officer of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam, and later as a diplomat of reunified Vietnam. He subsequently continued working on Cuba-related affairs at the Americas Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes presents the Friendship Medal of the Cuban State to Nguyen Xuan Phong. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

During his years in Cuba, he held numerous meetings and exchanges with local people, mass organizations, ICAP and the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through which he introduced Vietnam and the struggle of the Vietnamese people.

Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes said Nguyen Xuan Phong had worked as an interpreter at the representative office of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam in Havana, and later continued his work at Vietnam's diplomatic representative offices in Cuba. In these positions, he conveyed in Vietnamese and Spanish speeches by President Fidel Castro and many Vietnamese leaders.

In 1973, he accompanied President Fidel Castro during his visit to Vietnam, including the liberated area of Quang Tri. According to the Cuban Ambassador, he later continued to recall and document stories and materials about the solidarity and support that President Fidel Castro and Cuba had shown toward Vietnam, in order to pass them on to future generations.

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Rogelio Polanco Fuentes poses for a photo with Phuong Song Lien and her husband, and Nguyen Xuan Phong and his wife, at the Friendship Medal ceremony. (Photo: Huong Giang)

Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Xuan Phong said he wished to share the honor of receiving the Friendship Medal with Vietnamese people of his generation who had studied and worked in Cuba and contributed to building and developing the friendship between the two countries.

He regarded the award as a reminder to his generation to continue doing everything within their capacity to consolidate and build the special relationship between Vietnam and Cuba.

Fidel Castro's Legacy and Enduring Strength of Vietnam-Cuba Solidarity On August 3 in Hanoi, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics held a ministerial-level scientific seminar titled “Comrade Fidel Castro - Great leader of the Cuban revolution, resolute internationalist, and great friend of the Vietnamese people” to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Fidel Castro Ruz (August 13, 1926 - August 13, 2026).

Memories of Fidel Castro - Great Friend of Vietnamese People Having arrived in Cuba in 1963 and later serving as an interpreter and coordinator during President Fidel Castro’s historic visit to the liberated zone of Quang Tri in 1973, Nguyen Xuan Phong, former Director General of the Department of the Americas under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recalled enduring memories of a steadfast and devoted friend of the Vietnamese people.