A special ceremony was held on July 10th at the Vietnam Military History Museum to honor six Cuban military officers who lost their lives in a US bombing raid in Hanoi 60 years ago. The event also marked the official launch of a new Spanish-language book documenting six decades of close defense cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba. Cuban Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes and senior Vietnamese defense officials attended the ceremony to unveil the historic volume.
The six Cuban officers arrived in Vietnam in July 1966 to study air-defense tactics. On July 19 of that year, while inspecting an anti-aircraft position on the outskirts of Hanoi, they were caught in a surprise US air strike. All six officers were killed alongside several Vietnamese soldiers. Ambassador Polanco Fuentes recalled that late Cuban President Fidel Castro had famously pledged that Cuba was ready to "give even its own blood" for Vietnam—a promise that tragically became a reality just months later.
The partnership between the two nations runs deep, as Cuba was the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean to establish diplomatic ties with Vietnam in December 1960. In the years that followed, Cuban specialists trained Vietnamese forces in various military areas and even helped build the historic Ho Chi Minh Trail. Meanwhile, Vietnam's military strategy of "all-people war" left a lasting impression on Cuba, deeply influencing Cuban military thinking.
This shared history is the main focus of the newly launched book, titled 60 Years of Vietnam-Cuba Defense Relations History (1960–2020). According to Colonel Le Van Cuong of the Institute of Defense Strategy and History, the book was created because no previous study had covered the entire 60-year history of their defense relationship in a single volume. Originally published in Vietnamese in 2021, the new Spanish translation is designed to reach readers and military personnel across Cuba and Latin America.
The five-chapter book traces the relationship from its ideological roots under President Ho Chi Minh and President Fidel Castro through decades of active cooperation. It covers their joint efforts during the war, the signing of the 1982 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, and modern developments since 2000, such as officer exchanges and technical training. Colonel Cuong described defense cooperation as one of the strongest and most stable pillars of trust between the two countries.
Organizers hope the book will serve as a valuable resource for military researchers, students, and the general public, keeping the history of solidarity between Vietnam and Cuba alive. Closing the event, Ambassador Polanco Fuentes thanked Vietnam's defense ministry for organizing the ceremony, calling it a beautiful tribute to a shared and honorable history.
