Vietnam province mulls naming park after late Cuban leader Fidel Castro
Friday, December 09, 2016, 16:47 GMT+7
A proposal has been put forward to name a public park in the north-central Vietnamese province of Quang Tri after Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
The park, expected to be in the province's downtown Dong Ha City, has been proposed to bear the name of the revolutionary icon, the secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Hung said on Tuesday afternoon.
Secretary Hung led a delegation high-ranking local officials that paid tribute to the late Cuban leader at the Cuban Embassy in Hanoi.
Speaking to the Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Herminio López Díaz, the provincial Party chief, on behalf of the people from Quang Tri, expressed his deep condolences at the loss of Cuba and its people.
To commemorate the deep connection between Fidel Castro and the people of Quang Tri, and to strengthen Vietnam- Cuba ties, the provincial Party Committee will seek approval for public park in his name, said Hung.
During an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, the Party secretary stated that clearance of an area of land is being carried out, anticipating that the construction of the park would begin this year.
“The idea of a memorial park was suggested back in 2013 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Fidel Castro’s visit to Quang Tri,” Hung elaborated.
“The proposition has been submitted to the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee,” he added.
The construction of the park is expected to take over a year, according to the Quang Tri Party leader.
Fidel Castro, who took power after a 1959 revolution and led Cuba for 49 years, passed away at the age of 90 on November 25.
Vietnam and Cuba established diplomatic ties on December 2, 1960.
Fidel Castro visited Vietnam three times, in September 1973, December 1995, and February 2003.
The revolutionary icon was a pioneer in the international movement to support Vietnam’s struggle for independence and reunification, as well as in its national reconstruction and development efforts.
In September 1973, he was the first foreign leader to visit a newly liberated area in Quang Tri, in central Vietnam, while the American-led war in the country was still happening.
Vietnam is scheduled to hold a national day of mourning for the Cuban revolutionary on December 4.
