Discussion session with representatives of the Việt Nam Education Publishing House (VEPH) and the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia. — Photo courtesy of Việt Nam Education Publishing House

MOSCOW — Việt Nam and Russia have agreed to strengthen strategic cooperation through cultural and educational projects designed to promote Vietnamese reading culture and introduce Vietnamese culture to Russian audiences.

The agreement was reached on Wednesday (October 9) between a delegation from the Việt Nam Education Publishing House (VEPH) under the Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia.

During its working visit, the VEPH delegation, led by Editor-in-Chief Phạm Vĩnh Thái, met embassy representatives to discuss strategic cooperation initiatives and presented a Vietnamese bookcase to support Vietnamese language education and cultural preservation. The delegation also visited the Russian State Children’s Library, the country’s largest children’s library, founded in 1969.

Both sides explored potential cooperation with leading Russian institutions, including the Saint Petersburg Committee for International Relations, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and the Lomonosov Publishing House. Discussions focused on understanding Russia’s publishing market, identifying reader demographics and developing joint publishing projects, including copyright and academic exchanges, to deepen mutual understanding between the two nations.

Mai Nguyễn Tuyết Hoa, First Secretary of the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, praised VEPH’s initiatives, calling them 'a strategic and promising direction' that aligns with the growth of the Việt Nam–Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

She affirmed that the embassy would assist VEPH in carrying out its projects, promoting Vietnamese culture and education among Russian audiences and meeting the learning and research needs of the Vietnamese community in Russia.

The VEPH representatives presents a Vietnamese bookcase for the Vietnamese community in Russia.

On this occasion, VEPH presented a Vietnamese bookcase, an initiative designed to practically support the teaching and learning of the Vietnamese language and preserve the cultural identity of young Vietnamese abroad.

During the visit to the Russian State Children’s Library, Editor-in-Chief Thái met with Director Maria Vedenyapina and the library’s leadership. The two sides exchanged insights on children’s book trends in Việt Nam and Russia, as well as cooperation models linking publishers, libraries and schools.

They also discussed specific collaboration opportunities between VEPH and the Russian State Children’s Library to promote reading culture, host cultural exchange events and, Thái shared, the publisher has already launched Vietnamese bookcases in seven countries and hopes to expand the model to more Russian localities with large Vietnamese communities.

On this occasion, VEPH donated a selection of children’s books and Vietnamese language textbooks to the library, laying the groundwork for establishing a Vietnamese bookcase at the world’s largest children’s library in Moscow.

The VEPH donates Vietnamese books to the Russian State Children’s Library. Photo courtesy of the Russian State Children’s Library

Emphasising the symbolic value of the initiative, Hoa said the activity “is not merely about donating books.”

“It’s about planting seeds of knowledge and nurturing the enduring friendship between the peoples of Việt Nam and Russia. These books will help lay a solid foundation for a bright future in bilateral relations,” she said.

The initial outcomes of this working trip go beyond opening new cooperation channels. They lay a concrete foundation for joint publishing projects, the development of reading culture and stronger support for the Vietnamese community in Russia, further enriching the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. — VNS