Vietnam inaugurated this Saturday the Fidel Castro Ruz Bamboo Garden at the historic site of the Cu Chi tunnels in Ho Chi Minh City, in the context of the regime's propaganda machinery surrounding the centenary of the Cuban dictator.
According to the official Cuban agency Prensa Latina, a plantation of 100 bamboo plants has been established in honor of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, born on August 13, 1926.
The event was organized by the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association of Ho Chi Minh City along with the historical site of the Cu Chi Tunnels. According to the report, there is a stone with the inscription: "COMMEMORATING THE CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO RUZ (AUGUST 13, 1926 - AUGUST 13, 2026). Historical site of the Cu Chi Tunnels, August 29, 2026."
The president of the association, Truong Thi Hien, described Castro as "a great friend of the Vietnamese people" and stated that the bamboo was planted to "commemorate and pay tribute" to his figure.
The Cu Chi tunnels, the chosen setting for the homage, are one of the most powerful symbols of Vietnamese resistance: an underground network of over 200 kilometers used by the Viet Cong during the conflict with the United States.
The event in Cu Chi is part of the wave of international tributes for Castro's centenary that the Cuban regime has made the focal point of 2026, officially declared the "Year of the Centenary of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz."
The events included the I International Colloquium "Fidel: Legacy and Future," which brought together in Havana more than 1,500 delegates from 63 countries from August 10 to 13, and the public reappearance of Raúl Castro on August 14 at the Karl Marx Theatre.
The contrast with the reality faced by the Cuban people is striking. While bamboo is being planted in Vietnam and conferences are being held in Havana, Cuba has experienced at least seven total collapses of the National Electric System so far in 2026 —12 in nearly 24 months— with blackouts leaving 72% of the country without electricity simultaneously between August 26 and 27.
The electricity generation deficit reached a record of 2,411 MW on August 4, and the Cuban economy has accumulated a contraction of between 23% and 26% since 2019-2020, with GDP decline estimates for 2026 ranging from -6.5% (CEPAL) to -7.2% (EIU).
The Cuban peso has depreciated by more than 55% in eight months, rising from 435 pesos per dollar in December 2025 to over 670 pesos in July-August 2026, while the scarcity of food, medicine, and fuel continues to spread across the island without the regime providing real solutions for its population.
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