The forum saw the attendance of Acting Governor of Saint Petersburg Alexander Beglov and Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh.
The Vietnamese delegation to the forum was led by Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Pham Hong Son.
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Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh addresses the opening of the first Russia-Vietnam Youth Forum in Saint-Petersburg. |
Opening the event, Alexander Beglov said that young people are one of the key forces in promoting the relationship between Russia and Vietnam. Therefore, it is necessary to engage young people from both countries in international dialogues, he said.
He called on the two sides to step up exchanges and meetings between young people and students of the two sides as one of the best ways to consolidate the cooperative relations between the two nations.
Ambassador Ngo Duc Manh expressed his belief that the forum will help the youth of both sides affirm their important role in the cause of national building and development of both Vietnam and Russia.
He stressed the need for youngsters to equip themselves with comprehensive knowledge and skills to master new technology and apply them in production amidst the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Meanwhile, the HCM City youth leader Pham Hong Son hailed the idea to hold the forum of St. Petersburg, describing it as the first important event in the exchange of youth between the two twinning cities. He expressed his belief that the forum will convey positive messages to young people of both countries, paving the way for the organization of the second forum in Ho Chi Minh City in 2019.
The three-day forum includes discussions and talks on various issues of youngsters’ concern such as e-governments, smart cities, Russia-Vietnam cooperation in the digital economy, and digital culture in civil society development.
A contest on the Vietnamese culture and the history of the Russia-Vietnam friendship will also be launched, with the 10 winners to attend the second edition of the forum in Ho Chi Minh City in 2019.
On the sidelines of the forum, Ambassador Ngo Duc Manh had a meeting with Governor Alexander Beglov to discuss specific cooperation orientations in the Vietnam Year in Russia and Russia Year in Vietnam. The diplomat also delivered a lecture on the Russia-Vietnam relations in the North-West Institute of Management’s Faculty of International Affairs.
Source: VNA