VNF - Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Konstantin Vnukov has been awarded the “For Peace and Friendship” medal of the Russian Peace Foundation .

The awarding ceremony which took place on March 12 in Hanoi, was attended by Laos Ambassador to Vietnam Thongsavanh Phomvihane, First President of the Russian Peace Foundation Igor Panfilov and Director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture Shafinskaya Natalia. The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Russian Peace Foundation and the Russian Embassy in Vietnam.

At the opening ceremony, the First President of the Russian Peace Foundation, Igor Panfilov, said that he first came to Vietnam in the late 1970s, after the war ended. He said that even though he was working all over the world, the beauty of culture and people in Eastern countries still gave him the most impression.

The First President of the Russian Peace Fund, Igor Panfilov, speaks at the ceremony

Judging the achievements of Ambassador Konstantin Vnukov during his fifty years in the Foreign Service, Panfilov asserted that Ambassador Vnukov was a veteran diplomat and very few could do the same.

Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Konstantin Vnukov (left) receives the "For Peace and Friendship" Medal by the Russian Peace Foundation.

After receiving the Medal, Ambassador Konstantin Vnukov said during his diplomatic life, he worked only in Asia and realized that Vietnamese‘s sentiments towards the Russian people are very beautiful.

During his tenure in Vietnam, Ambassador Konstantin Vnukov has achieved many success in promoting traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the Russian Federation. In particular, 2017 is a "bumper year" in bilateral relations when Vietnam - Russia bilateral trade increases by 30%, exceeding the figure of $ 5 billion. Also in 2017, more than 600,000 Russian tourists come to Vietnam and more than 100,000 Vietnamese come to Russia, this is a record number. Vietnam is also one of the countries receiving the most scholarships from Russia.

Hien Trinh