Published:  00:00 Tuesday - November 10, 2009

Nearly 1,000 Russian people and Vietnamese students and people working in Russia, attended a Vietnam Culture Day in Saint Petersburg on November 8.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the President of the Saint Petersburg Chapter of the Overseas Vietnamese Association, Le Dinh Vu, said that through the Vietnam Culture Day, the chapter wants to introduce Russian friends to the beauty of Vietnamese land and hospitable people and further enhance the traditional friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Vietnamese envoy to Russia Nguyen Ngoc Binh emphasised that holding cultural exchanges such as this and Hanoi Day in Russia , and Russia Culture Day and Moscow Day in Vietnam, helps consolidate the traditional friendship between the two countries.

This is the first time Vietnam Culture Day was held in Saint Petersburg, with the assistance of Russian relevant agencies and friends, he added.

The event includes an exhibition of products relating to gastronomy, traditional history, the Vietnamese people, religion and beliefs, fine arts and handicrafts and souvenirs as well as song, dance and music performances presented by Vietnamese and Russian students.