Cuban journalist impressed with Vietnamese army's growth
The Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) is one of the largest and most extraordinary military forces in the world, commented Cuban journalist and writer Luis Manuel Arce Isaac.
Isaac, who once served as a war correspondent who covered Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Nicaragua, told Vietnam News Agency that he is particularly impressed by the growth of the VPA.
Just eight months after its formation, the Vietnam Propaganda Unit of Liberation Army, the forerunner of the VPA, developed into an army of all people and fought in the August Revolution led by President Ho Chi Minh, which helped Vietnam regain independence on September 2, 1945 and establish the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam). After that, the force continued the resistance war against the French colonialists, with the peak being the victory of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954.
As the VPA matured and became stronger, it secured landmark victories reflected at the Geneva Conference in 1954, the Paris Peace Accords in 1972, and the defeat of the US imperialists, leading to the reunification of Vietnam on April 30, 1975, he noted.
The Cuban journalist highlighted the VPA’s triumphs over some of the most powerful military forces in the world such as France, Japan, and the US. With its strength, experience, mettle, and strategic capacity, the VPA has evolved into a highly capable and modern army, he underscored.
Isaac hailed Vietnam’s “four nos” defence policy (no partaking in military alliances, no siding with one country to act against another, no foreign military bases in the Vietnamese territory or using Vietnam as leverage to counteract other countries, and no using force or threatening to use force in international relations), which is evident in Vietnam’s readiness to engage in defence cooperation - a pillar of its strategic partnerships with many countries, even those with differing ideologies.
He noted that despite just recently emerging from war, the country has sent officers to serve in UN peacekeeping operations. Isaac also highlighted Vietnam’s important and active role in international debates, resolutions, and actions aimed at creating a better world free from pollution and violence.
As proof of this, Vietnam has participated in and held key positions in various international organisations, been elected twice to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member, and currently serves at the UN Human Rights Council (2023 - 2025). These contributions have helped safeguard national interests, especially in maintaining and strengthening peace and security, fostering a favourable development environment, advancing deeper international integration, and enhancing the country's standing globally, stated the Cuban journalist, who once studied in Vietnam and showed his strong affections towards Vietnam.
Isaac, former Vice President of the Cuba - Vietnam Friendship Association for nearly five decades, was awarded the Friendship Order and the Ho Chi Minh badge of Vietnam during wartime. Together with other activists, he used to present a case before the Russell Tribunal, challenging the use of Agent Orange/dioxin and other chemicals, including napalm and white phosphorus, by the US during the Vietnam War. Isaac is also the author of two books on the war in Vietnam./
