Music gala marks centenary of Ho Chi Minh's first arrival in Soviet Union

A music gala took place in Saint Petersburg on June 28 in celebration of the 100 years since Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh first set foot in Petrograd, now Saint Petersburg city, of Russia.

The event was held by the Vietnamese People Association in Russia, the Saint Petersburg administration, and the Saint Petersburg Mining University.

It featured singing and dancing performances by Vietnamese and Russian students, who were also joined by their Indonesian and Myanmar peers, attracting a big round of applause from the audience.

The gala was the first in a series of the events ahead of the inauguration of a monument to Ho Chi Minh, slated for June 30, in the city on the occasion of 100 years since he, under the name of Nguyen Ai Quoc, first arrived here, which was also the first place in the then Soviet Union he came to, to seek a path for national liberation.

In his remarks, Vyacheslav Kalganov, deputy head of the external relations committee of Saint Petersburg city, said that preparations for the inauguration have been almost completed, describing the monument as a symbol of the Russia - Vietnam friendship.

For his part, Chairman of the Vietnamese People Association in Russia Do Xuan Hoang wished both countries strength and energy to surmount existing challenges.