Fidel Castro meets Vietnamese party leader

HAVANA (AFP) - Convalescing Cuban leader Fidel Castro met Saturday for two hours with the visiting head of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nong Duc Manh, local media reported.

"They held talks on issues of mutual interest especially on Latin America," an official Cuban news presenter said, referring to Manh's trip to Chile, Brazil and Venezuela.

Castro, 80, expressed his "admiration for the heroic people of Vietnam and progress on its economy, education and health," the report added.

Fidel Castro -- who took power January 1, 1959 -- has been recovering from intestinal surgery since handing power over temporarily to his younger brother, Raul Castro, on July 31.

Fidel Castro has not been seen in public since, but has in recent weeks written a flurry of articles for publication in official newspapers.