Ms. Ngo Phuong Ly, spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, and Lis Cuesta Peraza, spouse of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, enjoyed a traditional water puppet performance and visited Ngoc Son Temple in Hanoi on Monday.
The activity form part of a state visit to Vietnam by the Cuban couple, who will also attend the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day.
At the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, the Cuban first lady and her entourage were introduced to the centuries-old folk art form, rooted in Vietnam’s wet-rice culture.
They watched performances selected from Vietnam’s repertoire of nearly 400 water puppet plays.
Ms. Lis Cuesta Peraza expressed her appreciation for the hospitality of Ms. Ngo Phuong Ly and the Vietnamese artists, noting that the performances helped her better understand the art of water puppetry imbued with Vietnamese folk culture.
She expressed her hope that in the future, Vietnamese puppeteers will visit Cuba to share this traditional art with Cuban audiences.
Recalling her visit in 2024 to El Arca Puppet Museum in Havana with Lis Cuesta Peraza, Madam Ngo Phuong Ly said both Vietnam and Cuba possess distinctive puppet traditions, adding that she hopes her guest will have chances to learn more about Vietnam's puppetry during future visits.
After that, the two ladies walked to Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake, a favourite cultural site of Hanoians and visitors alike.
Their appearance drew warm greetings and applause from crowds of holidaymakers who gathered around the pedestrian streets decorated with flags and banners for the National Day.
Many shouted “Viva Cuba, Viva Vietnam” and “Vietnam – Cuba” in celebration of the enduring friendship between the two nations.
At Ngoc Son Temple, they offered incense, learned about the history and legends of Hoàn Kiếm Lake, and viewed the preserved giant turtle specimen.
On The Huc Bridge, they admired the iconic Turtle Tower and Hanoi’s autumn landscape.
The Cuban first lady was delighted to receive a calligraphy work reading “Peace” from a local scholar.
