Viet Nam has declared December 4 a national day of mourning for Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary who passed away last week in Havana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.

President Fidel Castro shook hands with every single Quang Tri soldier during his Viet Nam visit in 1973. File photo

Viet Nam has declared December 4 a national day of mourning for Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary who passed away last week in Havana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.

Viet Nam made the decision to express condolences and gratitude to the revolutionary leader of Cuba and to honor the special relationship between the two countries, the ministry said.

Half-mast flags will be flying at all government agencies nationwide and Viet Nam’s representative offices abroad. During the national mourning day, all entertainment activities will also be suspended.

Castro was a great friend of Viet Nam, the statement said. He will be interred at a cemetery in the Cuban city of Santiago on December 4.

Four decades ago, at the height of the Viet Nam War, he visited the famous battlefield of Quang Tri Province.

During the visit, he promised to give Viet Nam a hand in constructing a range of facilities including the Victory Hotel in Ha Noi, the Viet Nam-Cuba Hospital in Quang Binh Province, Moc Chau cattle ranch in Son La and the Viet Nam-Cuba Highway. Cuba also provided Viet Nam with $6 million worth of equipment and technology and was the biggest supporter of Viet Nam in the negotiation to join the United Nations.

Castro, who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for 5 decades defied U.S. efforts to topple him, died on November 25, state-run Cuban Television said. He was 90.

He had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006. He formally ceded power to his younger brother two years later.

Castro's remains will be cremated, according to his wishes. The bearded leader took power in a 1959 revolution and ruled Cuba for 49 years.

(Source: VnEpress International)