Also in attendance were Telce Abdel González Morrell, Cuba's Deputy Minister of Agriculture, and Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, on behalf of the Vietnamese Subcommittee in the Vietnam-Cuba Intergovernmental Committee, Deputy Minister Nguyen Tuong Van expressed his delight as the 42nd session takes place in a meaningful context: Both countries are organizing various activities to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Cuba (December 2, 1960 – December 2, 2025).
The traditional solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations, nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and Leader Fidel Castro, have been continuously strengthened and developed. Both sides maintain regular high-level exchanges and contacts. The state visit to Cuba by General Secretary and President To Lam in September 2024 marked a historic milestone in Vietnam-Cuba relations.
"Notably, we are preparing to welcome the state visit to Vietnam by First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz Canel, who will attend the 80th Anniversary of the August Revolution and the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from August 31, 2025, to September 2, 2025. This will undoubtedly be a significant event, elevating the relationship between the two countries to a new height," Deputy Minister Nguyen Tuong Van emphasized.
The Deputy Minister informed the Cuban side about some major policies and the socio-economic development situation of Vietnam. Recently, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has issued many historic decisions to create breakthroughs in institutional reform, streamline organizational structures at both central and local levels, aiming for efficiency and effectiveness.
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| Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tuong Van emphasized the cooperation results achieved recently. (Source: Ministry of Construction) |
Simultaneously, Vietnam is vigorously implementing four resolutions of the Politburo – the "four pillars" for breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation, national digital transformation, international integration, policy and law implementation, and private economic development. These efforts aim to create a solid foundation for achieving GDP growth of 8% or more in 2025 and double-digit growth from 2026 to 2030.
Regarding cooperation within the framework of the Intergovernmental Committee, Deputy Minister Nguyen Tuong Van highlighted that since the 41st session, despite facing numerous challenges from the international context and each country's specific difficulties, both sides have closely coordinated in implementing agreements and achieved many positive results.
Trade and investment cooperation remains a crucial pillar. In 2024, bilateral trade turnover reached 199.3 million USD, a 28.1% increase compared to 2023, with Vietnam exporting 193.7 million USD and importing 5.6 million USD from Cuba. Vietnamese enterprises' investment projects in Cuba continue to receive attention and promotion with several preferential policies from the Cuban Government.
In agricultural cooperation, Vietnam-supported projects in Cuba for rice, corn, and aquaculture production are being implemented according to goals and plans, yielding encouraging results. A new cooperation model for rice production in Pinar del Rio province by AGRI VMA has achieved double the average yield in Cuba, significantly contributing to Cuba's food security efforts.
In healthcare and biotechnology cooperation, both sides maintain exchanges, facilitating pharmaceutical registration, sharing management experiences, and vaccine testing. Vietnamese partners and BioCubaFarma Group have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture for pharmaceutical and biotechnology production in Vietnam. The Vietnam Green Economy Institute has signed cooperation agreements with Cuban partners Labiofarm Company, the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) to collaborate on research, development, and production of agricultural biotechnology and natural medicine products. This demonstrates deep political trust and determination to make biotechnology cooperation a key sector, bringing long-term benefits to both countries.
In energy cooperation, both sides have discussed implementing a solar energy complex project in Cuba. Viettel Group has conducted on-site surveys in Cuba and is developing a detailed proposal to implement the solar power project by the end of 2025.
Cooperation in other fields such as construction, transportation, science and technology, information and communication, finance-banking, education-training, culture-sports-tourism, and justice is actively promoted by both sides, achieving substantial results, enriching and diversifying bilateral cooperation content.
Additionally, Deputy Minister Nguyen Tuong Van candidly acknowledged the difficulties and challenges. The complex global economic situation and Cuba's internal difficulties have significantly impacted the progress and effectiveness of cooperation projects, especially issues related to electricity supply, fuel, materials, administrative procedures, and foreign currency liquidity. These challenges require both sides to make efforts with more flexible, creative, and decisive solutions in the future.
The Deputy Minister of Construction proposed that the 42nd session be one of determination and action. Both sides should focus on frank and substantive exchanges to jointly resolve obstacles and agree on new cooperation directions and content for the 2025-2026 period.
Priority should be given to the main pillars: Proposing that the governments of both countries, especially the Cuban Government, direct mechanisms to address difficulties and create a transparent, favorable investment environment for Vietnamese enterprises; strongly promoting comprehensive agricultural cooperation based on the results achieved from Vietnam's technical support projects for Cuba; creating breakthroughs in healthcare and biotechnology cooperation.
"I am confident that with high effort and determination, a spirit of close cooperation and innovation, the 42nd session of the Vietnam-Cuba Intergovernmental Committee will be successful, creating new momentum, contributing to deepening, effective, and substantive comprehensive cooperation between the two countries," Deputy Minister Nguyen Tuong Van expressed.
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| Cuba's Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Déborah Rivas Saavedra affirmed that Cuba is ready to provide preferential mechanisms to facilitate Vietnamese enterprises' investment cooperation in Cuba. (Source: Ministry of Construction) |
On the Cuban side, Déborah Rivas Saavedra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, expressed her honor to return to Vietnam to discuss the draft minutes of the 42nd session during the First Secretary and President of Cuba's participation in the 80th Anniversary of the August Revolution and Vietnam's National Day. This is also one of the activities commemorating the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Cuba.
Deputy Minister Déborah Rivas Saavedra also expressed gratitude for Vietnam's program to support the Cuban people with the theme "65 Years of Vietnam-Cuba Friendship," launched on August 13 – the 99th anniversary of Cuban Leader Fidel Castro's birth, achieving significant results in a short time.
"We are deeply moved to witness the strong brotherly bond between Vietnam and Cuba being passed from generation to generation. Cuba will never forget this noble gesture and the affection and love of the Vietnamese people for the Cuban people," Deputy Minister Déborah Rivas Saavedra emotionally stated.
The Deputy Minister expressed gratitude for the support, assistance, and help from the Party, Government, and people of Vietnam, especially the rice support project with a total volume of 11,500 tons and the solar power project that Viettel Group will implement in the near future. These are important projects that directly impact the benefits of the Cuban people.
Regarding bilateral cooperation, Deputy Minister Déborah Rivas Saavedra affirmed the facilitation mechanisms that the Cuban Government provides for Vietnamese enterprises, especially solutions to remove obstacles affecting economic-trade cooperation.
The Deputy Minister agreed with the Vietnamese side on the results achieved in bilateral cooperation in various fields recently and noted that, along with traditional cooperation fields, other areas such as veterinary, renewable energy, oil and gas, industry, transportation, and tourism have significant potential for cooperation development.
The Deputy Minister also mentioned that from 2025, Vietnam and Cuba have become partner countries of the BRICS group of emerging economies, creating great opportunities for both sides to explore and develop joint projects for the practical benefit of both countries and the Global South. Vietnam and Cuba will explore these new opportunities and find cooperative solutions.
"Cuba is open and ready to consider what can be done to ensure that new investment projects by Vietnamese enterprises in Cuba are implemented effectively, sustainably, and bring practical benefits to both sides.
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| Delegates attending the session take a commemorative photo. (Source: Ministry of Construction) |
We trust that our two countries will continue to trust each other, continue to set development cooperation goals in priority areas. Both sides will find practical, breakthrough solutions to fulfill their obligations, further promoting economic and trade relations between the two countries," Deputy Minister Déborah Rivas Saavedra emphasized.
Immediately after the opening ceremony, both sides exchanged and discussed the content of the 42nd session minutes with the participation of representatives from ministries, agencies, and units.
On September 1, the Minister of Construction of Vietnam and the Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment of Cuba are expected to sign the minutes of the 42nd session on behalf of both sides.
Within the framework of the 42nd session, important cooperation agreements and documents will be signed, such as: the agreement between the two governments on promoting rice production, gradually ensuring food security in Cuba for the period 2025-2027; a memorandum of cooperation in the field of archiving and document management; a memorandum on establishing a biotechnology joint venture company between Vietnam's Hoa Sen Investment Group Co., Ltd. and Cuba's Labiofarm Group.
| The 42nd session of the Vietnam-Cuba Intergovernmental Committee is held in Hanoi from August 27 to September 2, 2025. The session will focus on comprehensively evaluating cooperation results in various fields according to the agreements in the minutes of the 41st session and agreeing on cooperation content for the 2025-2026 period, promoting key cooperation programs, projects, and activities, contributing to strengthening the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba. At this session, both sides will agree on specific directions and solutions to further strengthen economic-trade and investment relations, especially in priority areas such as: Agriculture and Food Security: Cooperation in sustainable rice production development, technology transfer, and expanding results from new cooperation models to ensure food security for Cuba. Biotechnology and Healthcare: Strengthening cooperation in biotechnology and healthcare, promoting the implementation of joint venture projects in biotechnology for healthcare and agricultural biotechnology. Energy: Implementing solar power projects, contributing to addressing Cuba's current electricity shortage. The 42nd session reaffirms both governments' commitment to creating favorable conditions for the business communities of both countries to cooperate, invest, and conduct business. Important cooperation documents will be signed, providing a solid legal basis for cooperation activities in the upcoming period. |
