On July 11, Party leader Nong Duc Manh arrived in Saint Petersburg as part of his official visit to Russia at the invitation President Dmitry Medvedev.

 

St. Petersburg is Russia's second biggest city where the great October Revolution took place in 1917 under the leadership of Russian leader Lenin and the Bolshevik Party. The city is a big economic hub with key economic sectors such as shipbuilding, mechanichal engineering, electrical technology, electronics and metallurgy.

 

As Russia's capital city for more than 300 years, St. Petersburg is home to palaces, hermitages, museums and original architectures and arts. It has 41 universities, more than 170 scientific research institutes and 2,000 libraries.

 

Over its history, it has also been referenced as "the Venice of the north" with the main river, Neva, canals and more than 800 old bridges which has helped boost tourism development.

St.Peterburg is cooperating with a number of Vietnamese provinces and cities. In 2005, St.Petersburg's Governor, Matvienko led a business delegation to HCM City, Hanoi and Hai Phong to seek investment opportunities.

Both sides are currently implementing cooperation projects on economics, trade, science and technology, culture and tourism.

 

On May 15 this year, to mark the 120th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, Saint Petersburg State University coordinated with the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia to open the Ho Chi Minh Institute and unveil a statue of Uncle Ho in the university's campus.

 

VOV