Cuba and Vietnam to Premiere Documentary Seeds of Happiness

To mark the 80th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Cuba’s Canal Caribe and its Vietnamese counterpart VTV 1 will premiere the audiovisual production “Seeds of Happiness.” The documentary tells the life stories of Vietnamese and Cubans who have forged bonds of friendship in Los Palacios, Pinar del Río, through rice cultivation, according to the Institute of Information and Communication (Ics).

The one-hour film will be broadcast simultaneously in both countries on Tuesday, September 2, at 8:10 p.m. local time in Vietnam and at 9:10 a.m. on the Cuban News Channel.

“Seeds of Happiness” portrays the work of a group of Vietnamese farmers in Cuba who have shared their expertise in cultivating special rice varieties in Los Palacios, including the CT16 seed.

Produced in collaboration with the Cuban project Naturaleza Secreta, with support from the Ics, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Vietnamese Embassy in Havana, the film documents the solidarity between Cubans and Vietnamese, two peoples who have stood side by side during difficult times, the source noted.

The documentary also conveys that, through the story of rice grains, the film presents Vietnam not only as the world’s leading rice exporter but also as a nation willing to share knowledge and experience in solidarity, contributing to Cuba’s food sovereignty and the construction of a prosperous and sustainable future.

Tu Luong, director of the Vietnam Television Center in Ho Chi Minh City and one of the contributors to “Seeds of Happiness,” said the broadcast carries special significance because “the values of independence, freedom and happiness that Vietnam achieved 80 years ago continue to radiate to the world.”

With a heartfelt and direct cinematic narrative, combined with carefully crafted cinematography, imagery, music and archival material, the feature-length documentary promises to deliver an emotional, human and meaningful experience on Vietnam’s National Day, the Ics concluded.