Then Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Van Dong (centre) talked to Juan Bosch in Hanoi in 1971. (File photo)

He made the statement while addressing a ceremony to commemorate his country’s first President Juan Bosch, a writer, an ideologist, and an activist for the liberation of the Dominican Republic and Latin America, at Hoa Binh (Peace) Park in Hanoi on March 17.

"President Ho Chi Minh, a great leader, a great personality, has always been a shining example for the people of our two countries, especially the young generation," said the Dominican Ambassador.

Meanwhile, revolutionary activist Juan Bosch took the lead in the struggle against dictatorial and oppressive regimes to liberate the peoples in Latin America in the 1930s. The founder of the Dominican Revolutionary Party became the first democratically-elected President of the Dominican Republic in February 1963, putting an end to the over-40-year rule of the dictatorial regime of Rafael Trujillo.

“President Ho Chi Minh and Mr. Juan Bosch laid the foundation for the solidarity and friendship between two nations,” he said, noting that Juan Bosch met President Ho Chi Minh in 1965, when Mr. Juan Bosch came to Hanoi to attend a conference on Latin American countries’ solidarity with Vietnam.

At the wreath laying ceremony in front of the statue of Professor Juan Bosch, Ambassador Francisco Rodríguez recalled the close relationship between the two leaders Juan Bosch and Ho Chi Minh, with many similarities in ideology and political career.

Professor Juan Bosch always had special affection for President Ho Chi Minh, as well as a certain belief in the Vietnamese people's struggle for national liberation and unification, contributing to tightening solidarity with the progressive peoples of the world.

According to Ambassador Francisco Rodríguez, to honour President Ho Chi Minh, a Ho Chi Minh park and monument were unveiled in the capital Santo Domingo in February 2013. “Despite their geographical distance, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic are always strongly inter-connected thanks to their similarities in the desire for freedom and social progress,” he added.

Vietnam and the Republic of Dominica set up diplomatic ties on July 7, 2005.

On this occasion, the ambassador expressed his honour to be appointed as the first ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Vietnam, adding that preparations are being made for the inauguration of his country’s embassy in Hanoi, which will mark an important milestone in bilateral relations. He also expressed his hope that the two countries will promote cooperation in diverse areas such as diplomacy, trade, science, sports and culture.

Noting that Dominica has the fastest economic growth in Central America - the Caribbean, and belongs to the group of high-growth countries in Latin America, just like Vietnam, which is experiencing outstanding development in Southeast Asia, he called on the two countries to step up investment cooperation in the fields of tourism, telecommunications and agriculture.

He also expressed his delight at Vietnam's decision to open the international tourism market since March 15, and expressed his belief that the opening of tourism would boost the economy's development./.

Compiled by BTA