The opening session of the Việt Nam Week in Russia held in Moscow. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Quang Vinh

MOSCOW — The Việt Nam Week in Russia, spotlighting Việt Nam as a gateway to Asia, is underway in Moscow to beef up the nations’ friendship and cooperation.

Lasting from April 17 to 23, the event features eight roundtable discussions on economy, science and education, with participants talking about prospects for the bilateral engagements in the fields of banking, oil and gas exploration, health, and IT. On schedule are also lesson and practice sessions on Vietnam’s history, arts, and cuisine, among others.

At the opening ceremony, Russian Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Konstantin Mogilevsky said in his online speech that it was the first time such a week-long programme on cooperation with Việt Nam had been organised.

Mogilevsky informed participants that an alliance of Russian and Vietnamese technical universities was expected to be set up based on the coordination among the Việt Nam National University-Hà Nội, Moscow Aviation Institute, and Moscow Power Engineering Institute.

The alliance was expected to become a key factor in the nations’ educational cooperation, providing the Vietnamese industry with highly qualified human resources, he said.

The Russian official noted that the sides involved were considering the organisation of the 2nd Việt Nam-Russia university rectors’ forum in Moscow this autumn and a Russian week in Việt Nam.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Lê Xuân Định said the event was a good chance for information exchange and cooperation between Vietnamese and Russian scientists and businessmen.

He believed it would bring Việt Nam closer to Russian friends and open up more opportunities for joint research projects in the time to come. — VNS