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A statue of President Fidel Castro installed in the Vietnam-Cuba Hospital in Quang Binh province (Photo: SGGP) |
The construction is one of the works honoring the brotherhood between the two peoples of Vietnam and Cuba, contributing to Quang Tri Province’s development.
Cuba’s legendary leader, Fidel Castro, was the first head of state to visit a liberated zone in Quang Tri after the signing of the 1973 Paris Agreement on ending the war.
After Cuban President Fidel Castro’s visit, the Cuban government handed over road construction machines and vehicles worth US$6 million to Truong Son soldiers and sent engineers and skilled technical workers to coordinate with the Engineering Regiment 515 that directly implemented construction of Road 42 running from Ben Tat to Cam Lo in Quang Tri Province, and the upgrade of Road 14 running from Dakrong Bridge to A Luoi in Thua Thien – Hue Province at the end of 1974.
After 1975, the Cuban government helped Vietnam build Dakrong Bridge which is 100 meters long and 6 meters wide to replace the old one and improve transport running smoothly. The bridge connects Road 14 with Road 9 starting from Quang Tri Province to A Luoi in Thua Thien – Hue Province, and Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Binh Phuoc provinces. It is also a route to transport military supplies and staff members to the Southern battlefield during wartime.
The bridge was damaged in the severe floods in 1999 and reconstructed in 2000 with the support of the Cuban government and local ministries, and departments.
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Dakrong Bridge (Photo: SGGP) |
A central park named after Fidel Castro was built on an area of 16.5 hectares in Dong Ha City of Quang Tri Province. A bust of the Cuban leader with a height of 1.45 meters and width of 0.8 meters was installed in the park along with his saying, “For Việt Nam, Cuba is willing to shed blood”.
The park was inaugurated in 2018 to demonstrate the love of people in Quang Tri in particular and Vietnam in general for Cuban leader Fidel Castro, and the brotherhood between Vietnam and Cuba.
Director of the Vietnam-Cuba Hospital Nguyen Duc Cuong said that the Friendship Hospital was built in 1974 and put into operation in August, 1981. It is a symbol of the close friendship between Vietnam and Cuba.
A monument commemorating President Fidel Castro was inaugurated in the hospital in August 2018 to pay tribute to the legendary leader.
Every year, the hospital usually invites Cuban experts and doctors to travel to the medical facility for examination and treatment in the departments of cardiology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, oncology, pediatrics, and gastroenterology.
In 1973, President Fidel Castro stayed at the Giao Te guest house in Duc Ninh Commune of Dong Hoi City during his visit to Quang Tri Province which was recognized as a national historical relic in 1998 by the Ministry of Culture and Information.
