Mr Nhan is accompanied by leaders of several ministries and 13 directors and presidents of big Vietnamese universities and institutions.

His six-day visit aims to bring to life the agreements reached by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in December 2009. This also offers a chance for the two countries’ universities and institutions to increase future cooperation.

Vietnam and Russia are carrying out a host of activities to mark 60 years of their diplomacy this year. Despite global economic woes, two-way trade last year reached US$2 billion.