On July 23, 2025, in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Xuan Sang hosted a reception for Cuba’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Genrardo Penalver Portal.
At the meeting, Deputy Minister Genrardo Penalver Portal expressed his pleasure to visit and work with the Ministry of Construction and highly appreciated the effective cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction and Cuban partners in recent times.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang spoke at the reception.
According to Deputy Minister Genrardo Penalver Portal, Cuba is currently very interested in and created favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises, including construction enterprises, to implement projects in Cuba. He also hopes that in the coming time, more Vietnamese enterprises will promote cooperation and investment in Cuba.
Regarded to the International Havana Fair (FIHAV), which is scheduled to be held in November 2025 with many preferential policies for international partners, Deputy Minister Genrardo Penalver Portal suggested that the Ministry of Construction, as the Standing Agency of the Vietnam Sub-Committee in the Vietnam - Cuba Intergovernmental Committee, will soon inform ministries and branches and create conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to attend the Fair, aiming to further promote cooperation between the two countries.
Deputy Minister Gerardo Penalver Portal spoke at the reception.
Deputy Minister Genrardo Penalver Portal also conveyed the proposal of the Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment on organizing the 42nd Session of the Vietnam - Cuba Intergovernmental Committee in online form at the end of August 2025.
For his part, Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang welcomed comrade Genrardo Penalver Portal, comrade Joy Puentes Saldise and members of the Cuban Foreign Ministry delegation to visit and work with the Ministry of Construction, and expressed his delight at the continued consolidation and development of Vietnam – Cuba relations across multiple fields: politics, diplomacy, economics, trade and investment, culture and tourism.
Overview of working session
In response to the proposal of Comrade Genrardo Penalver Portal, Sang affirmed that the Ministry of Construction, as the Standing Agency of the Vietnam Sub-Committee in the Vietnam - Cuba Intergovernmental Committee, will soon inform Vietnamese ministries, departments, and enterprises to develop a plan to participate in the International Fair in Havana.
Regarding the proposal of the Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang said that the Ministry of Construction agreed with the proposal of the Cuban side to organize the 42nd Session of the Vietnam - Cuba Intergovernmental Committee in online form at the end of August 2025 and would sign the Minutes of the 42nd Session within the framework of the visit to Vietnam by the First Secretary and President of Cuba.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang and Deputy Minister Gerardo Penalver Portal took a photo with delegates at the working session.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang asked the Cuban Government create favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to promote cooperation and implement projects in Cuba. This will contribute to creating more motivation and attracting more Vietnamese enterprises to invest in Cuba.
Appreciating the potential for cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction and Cuban partners, especially in seaport construction and maritime transport, Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang suggests that the two sides should pay more attention to promoting cooperation in this field. In addition, the two sides also need to increase information exchange, have a coordination mechanism, remove obstacles, speed up procedures for investment and business cooperation projects between enterprises of both sides.