(VNF) - Vietnam donated 5,000 tons of rice to Cuba on June 21^st at the symbolic hand-over ceremony in the port city of Hai Phong, following a pledge made in March by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, during his visit to the island.

Director General of the Vietnamese General Department of State Reserves Do Viet Duc and Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Lianys Torres Rivera at the symbolic hand-over ceremony.

Present there were Director General of the Vietnamese General Department of State Reserves (GDSR) Do Viet Duc; Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Lianys Torres Rivera.

Duc recalled material and spiritual assistance the Cuban people had given to Vietnamese people in the past, and emphasised the support of the Vietnamese Party, State and people for the Cuban people’s revolutionary cause.

According to the tasks the Minister of Finance assigned to the GDSR, the Department of State Reserves in the Northeastern area will hand over 5,000 tonnes of rice to the Cuban people at Mariel Port in Cuba, from June 23^rd to July 15^th, 2018.

In turn, Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera expressed gratitude for this donation, adding that 5,000 tons of rice would be directed to increasing subsidized stocks of this important food for the Cuban population.

She added that it is a a new gesture of solidarity and brotherhood between both nations.

After the ceremony, delegates arrived at the Nam Hai port in Hai Phong to witness the first batch of rice loaded in Hai Phong port, before boarding the ship to Cuba.

Vietnam donated 5,000 tons of rice to Cuba to help it overcome consequences caused by Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

Currently, Vietnam is listed among top 10 largest trade partners of Cuba and the second largest trade partner of Cuba in Asia.

The two-way trade values in 2016 and 2017 reached USD 235 million and USD 224.3 million, respectively. The two nations are striving to raise the figure to USD 500 million by 2020./.

Translated by Chau Pham