FIDEL Castro looked stronger yesterday in the first images the government has released of him in months, showing him in a brief videotape and four photographs meeting with the visiting Vietnamese Communist party chief.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has praised Vietnam for its battle against “imperialism” and pledged to help the communist country develop its nascent oil and gas industry during a two-day state visit.

Preparations for the anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War wound up in a flurry of activity today in the former capital of South Vietnam, with red flags lining the broad boulevard where Communist tanks rolled into the city 30 years ago.