The historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro’s first and important visit to Vietnam, which began 51 years ago today, was commemorated here by members of the island’s state mission.

The simple ceremony highlighted the fact that the Commander-in-Chief became the first and only world leader to travel to the liberated zone in the middle of the war to meet with members of the Provisional Revolutionary Government and fighters of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam.

Fidel Castro’s presence on the battlefield of Quang Tri, it was said, was an impetus for the Vietnamese soldiers and people in the struggle for independence, which ended with the resounding victory of 30 April 1975, marking the complete liberation of the South and national reunification.

As part of the commemoration, a documentary film was screened, showing the most transcendental moments of the visit of the leader of the Cuban Revolution in September 1973, from the massive and warm welcome offered by the people of Hanoi to his meeting with the main leaders of the Indochinese nation.

The graphic testimony also includes the moments in which Fidel Castro, accompanied by the legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap, learns details of the historic battle of Dien Bien Phu, as well as those in which he highlights the contribution made by Vietnam and Cuba to the world revolutionary movement.

The visit to Quang Tri, which took place at a time when the administration of the puppet regime in Saigon, under the protection of the United States, was still trying to deny the existence of the liberated zones and the prestige of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the South, is particularly highlighted in the video.

In the context of the commemoration of this momentous event, the Code of Ethics of the cadres of the Cuban Revolution was signed, a document that sets out values and principles based on the revolutionary conceptions and practice of its main leaders.