Havana (VNA) - Representatives of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples (ICAP) and the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba have laid flowers at the Ho Chi Minh Park in Havana to mark the 134th birthday of the Vietnamese late leader (May 19, 1890-2024).

The ceremony drew ICAP President Fernando González Llort, Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam Nguyen Van Tien, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Quang Long, as well as representatives of many agencies and organisations of Cuba and the Vietnamese community in the country.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Long highlighted the legacy left by President Ho Chi Minh, a national liberation hero, an eminent revolutionary of the national liberation movement and international communist and workers' movements, a world figure of culture, and the beloved leader of Vietnamese people.

Also on May 19, 129 years ago, Cuban hero José Martí fell down during the struggle for national liberation of Cuba, he noted, holding that this was a coincidence of the two leaders. Vietnam and Cuba also share the common spirit of patriotism and ideology values, he stated.

The desire for freedom and independence of each nation and the progressive ideology of each nation's historical leaders formed a solid foundation for Vietnam and Cuba to cultivate a faithful and lasting friendship, the diplomat emphasised.

For his part, Vice President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association Ruvislei González Sáez affirmed that the ideology of President Ho Chi Minh, one of the most important figures of the 20th century, has remained alive among the 100 million people of Vietnam and revolutionaries in the world.

González Sáez honoured the late leader as a figure with universal stature, a great revolutionary who fought tirelessly for the best cause of Vietnam and humanity, and a very great man who was also very humble.

The Cuban scholar said that his organisation and the ICAP as well as the Havana University hope to study more deeply into the Ho Chi Minh ideology and promote the Vietnamese leader's legacy in the new era.

He expressed his belief that the future generations of the two countries will inherit the eternal values left by the leader, promoting the growth of the two countries in peace and heading to socialism, while fostering the special ties between the two nations.

☂ At the ceremony, local children performed songs, dances and poems honouring President Ho Chi Minh and the special solidarity between the two nations./.