A top level delegation led by National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong, currently on a visit to Russia at the invitation of the Chairman of the Federation Council (Upper House) of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Sergei Mironov, laid a wreath at the Monument to the unknown soldiers, paid tribute to Lenin at his mausoleum and visited a number of historical sites in Moscow on April 23.

Vladimir Maryzin, an expert from the Vietnamese and ASEAN Centre of the Russia Academy of Sciences, expressed his hope that the Vietnamese delegation’s current visit would contribute to strengthening bilateral ties. “It’s important to develop the two countries’ relationship to a higher level, like it used to be during the former Soviet Union,” he said.

Victoria Solokova, a fourth-year student from the Vietnamese Department at Moscow University’s Academy for Asian and African countries, said that as a future expert on Vietnam, she will try her best to promote the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Russia.

Earlier on April 22, the NA Chairman and his delegation paid a visit to the staff of the Vietnamese embassy in Russia and the overseas Vietnamese community. He lauded them for their achievements and contributions to the country in recent years.

The Vietnamese community in Russia consists of about 100,000 people. They always look towards the homeland for practical assistance, according to Ambassador Bui Dinh Dinh.

He said the embassy plays an important role in strengthening ties between the two countries. Russia always attaches a great deal of importance to promoting friendship and cooperation with Vietnam.

Representatives of the Vietnamese community expressed their delight at Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements in the innovation process. They propose that the National Assembly continue to introduce legislation allowing overseas Vietnamese to do business in Vietnam.