Petr Tsvetov: Giving the future of Russia-Vietnam friendship to the young generation

Returning to Vietnam to attend the 80th National Day Celebration at the invitation of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam - Russia Friendship Association, Mr. Petr Tsvetov, First Vice President of the Russia - Vietnam Friendship Association, brought with him memories of a country where he has spent his entire life and his expectations for the young generations of the two countries.

Late in the afternoon of August 31, we met Mr. Petr Tsvetov, First Vice President of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association at the hotel. In a friendly atmosphere, we had a conversation with him about his feelings when returning to Vietnam.

As soon as he set foot on Noi Bai airport, the first feeling that flooded him was warmth and familiarity. This was not the first time he had come to Vietnam - the land where he had lived and worked for many years. The short distance from the airport to the hotel was enough for him to recognize the changes: spacious roads, modern constructions, evidence of a Vietnam that is developing rapidly and reaching new heights right on the occasion of the important 80th anniversary of National Day.

Mr. Petr Tsvetov, First Vice President of the Russia – Vietnam Friendship Association. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

He said: His love for Vietnam began when he was a student at Moscow State University. His passion for Vietnamese language, history and culture was passed down from his teachers - who had been attached to Vietnam. After 9 years of studying Vietnamese, in 1977, he had the opportunity to set foot on the land that he had secretly loved for a long time. Vietnam had just been unified, and the people had just gone through a difficult resistance war against the US. It was that indomitable spirit that urged him to attach his life and career to Vietnam.

In his memoir, he recalled his first trip to Vietnam. In 1977, Vietnam was a country with many difficulties and shortages. People still used ration stamps to buy rice, meat, and fish. They could only buy a small amount of each item. Dong Xuan Market only sold bananas, almost no other fruits, and not many other items. At that time, he often studied by himself in the library, researching Vietnamese history. Petr Tsvetov still remembers clearly that on Tet 1978, he gave each library staff a package of green tea - a simple but valuable gift at that time, because it was so scarce.

Looking back at the past and present, Mr. Tsvetov could not hide his joy. Nowadays, in Hanoi , any supermarket or market is filled with goods, from agricultural products to electronic devices. He often tells his students that, just by opening their phones, they will immediately see the words “Made in Vietnam”, meaning that Vietnamese products are famous worldwide.

Vietnam has mastered high technology and is dynamic in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He particularly appreciated the GDP growth rate during the 1990s–2000s, as well as the foreign trade boom, showing that the world increasingly values ​​cooperation with Vietnam.

Talking about people-to-people cooperation, he said: the 1990s were very difficult, when the budget for the Friendship Association's activities was almost non-existent. However, thanks to the support of former Vietnamese students who studied in the Soviet Union, the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association was still able to maintain many meetings, exhibitions, and concerts. Vietnamese artists came to perform Russian music, and Vietnamese painters actively participated in joint exhibitions.

“Those are unforgettable memories,” he said.

He assessed that in the past year and a half, the Russia-Vietnam relationship has entered a new stage of development with a series of high-level visits: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Vietnam (June 2024), National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man visited Russia (September 2024), Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Vietnam (January 2025) and most recently, General Secretary To Lam visited Russia (May 2025). In less than a year, more than 40 cooperation documents were signed, opening up prospects for comprehensive cooperation.

At the age of over 70, Mr. Tsvetov is concerned about how to continue to foster a lasting friendship. He and his colleagues are working with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations to discuss expanding activities aimed at young people, from online forums for young people from both countries to communicate in Russian and Vietnamese, to encouraging learning Russian in connection with practical job needs. For him, it is the young generation that will be the force to continue and keep the Russia-Vietnam friendship alive forever.

In the heroic atmosphere of the historic autumn days, he said: “The past 80 years have been a historic journey with many glorious victories. I wish the Vietnamese people many new victories on the path to building a civilized, democratic and powerful country.”

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/petr-tsvetov-trao-tuong-lai-huu-nghi-nga-viet-cho-the-he-tre-215995.html