On May 20-21, 2019, the Prime Minister of the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc made an official visit to St. Petersburg. The SRV delegation arrived in Russia to participate in the opening of the cross year of Russia and Vietnam.
As part of the negotiations with the head of the delegation, Acting Governor Alexander Beglov noted that St. Petersburg and Vietnam have long-standing ties of friendship and cooperation, including twin city of Ho Chi Minh. Last year, the 95th anniversary of Comrade Nguyen Ai Quoc's (Ho Chi Minh) arrival to Petrograd was widely celebrated. From May 24 to 26, St. Petersburg will host the Days of Ho Chi Minh City, within the framework of which an agreement will be signed between the St. Petersburg Clinical Scientific and Practical Oncology Center and the Cancer Center of Ho Chi Minh City.
“Your country has made great strides in innovation development. Today we have joint projects in various fields, and we are ready to develop our cooperation” - the head of the city emphasized. Together with the Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee, a project is currently being developed to create a hotel complex in St. Petersburg, where the representative office of the Vietnamese twin city will be located. Alexander Beglov invited the Vietnamese side to take part in the development of the martial arts center project, which will include sports complexes, rehabilitation centers for oriental medicine, recreation areas, educational facilities and public catering. Also, according to him, the issue of opening direct flights between St. Petersburg and Ho Chi Minh is being worked out.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc noted that Vietnam attaches great importance to increasing trade and developing cooperation with Russia and St. Petersburg, including in the field of pharmaceuticals, science and education, culture and tourism, and the maritime industry. The Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam thanked Alexander Beglov for supporting the Vietnamese diaspora in St. Petersburg and creating the conditions for business.
During the visit, members of the delegation also took part in laying flowers ceremony at the Mother Motherland monument at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery, visited the legendary cruiser Aurora, the Hermitage and the Catherine Palace.
