The event was attended by Secretary of Hồ Chí Minh City's Party Committee Nguyễn Thiện Nhân, officials of Hồ Chí Minh City, representatives from the host authority and Vietnamese expats. In his opening speech, Mayor of Saint Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko underlined the significance of the event that took place 95 years ago, saying that it laid the foundation for the relationship between the two countries.
The mayor also said that President Hồ Chí Minh was a great friend of the Russian people and that Saint Petersburg is proud to be the place where ties between the two countries were first cemented.
