Russia is keen on expanding cultural and people to people interaction with Vietnam and welcomes the decision on making Russian the compulsory subject in Vietnamese schools again.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin made his statement during a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc this week.

Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Moscow on December 1, 2021. Photo: VNA

"We hope to hold the rest of the events under the program celebrating the Russia year in Vietnam and the Vietnam year in Russia after the pandemic restrictions are lifted, and we very much welcome the decision of the Vietnamese administration to make Russian a the subject in Vietnamese schools again," said Mikhail Mishustin.

He added that the signing of some important agreements that outline new tracks of cooperation in the spheres of industry, culture, energy, and between the central banks of Vietnam and Russia is scheduled for the Vietnamese president's visit.

"I am convinced that these agreements will give a considerable impetus to further developing  our multifaceted cooperation," the Russian prime minister said.

For his part, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam attaches a lot of importance to comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia.

"We want to deepen relations with Russia in various spheres," Phuc said.

Within the framework of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to Russia, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son also had meetings with representatives from the Russian educational sector to advance educational cooperation between the two countries.

Previously, in August, Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training issued a circular indicating Russian, Japanese, French and Chinese the foreign languages to be taught in Vietnamese schools.

Vietnamese schools can teach one of those languages from grade 1 based on students' choice and the schools' capacity.

Currently, English, Russian, Japanese, French and Chinese are the foreign languages taught in Vietnamese schools. The ministry is also piloting the teaching of Korean and German in the time to come.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son at a meeting to discuss education cooperation with Russia. Photo: VNA

At the working session with Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Nikolayevich Falkov on December 1, Son suggested upgrading the Pushkin Sub-Institute in Hanoi to a centre of Russian language in Southeast Asia.

The minister also proposed the Russia consider granting scholarships to Vietnamese students and open branches of Russian universities in Vietnam on a trial basis.

Son's proposals received the support from Falkov, who said he will closely coordinate with competent agencies to realize the Vietnamese minister's suggestions on cooperation.