A live broadcast entitled Songs of Victory on Oct. 31 on Vietnam Television (VTV) linked Hanoi and Moscow, being a meeting point for the two peoples to remember important moments in both Russian and global history.

Through Russian music and songs, the three-hour show provided a musical history of World War II, recounting the experiences of the Russian people during 1941-45. The performances featured 15 Russian songs and one Vietnamese song performed by the Central Military Orchestra of the Russian Ministry of Defence as well as Vietnamese artists and a Vietnamese children's choir.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the launch of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, VTV has cooperated with the Vietnamese-Russian Friendship Association to put on the show, said Lai Van Sam, the programme's director.

Sam said this was the largest live production aired by VTV this year, with a heavy investment in technical expertise, equipment and funding.

The programme was broadcast from the Friendship Cultural Palace in Hanoi and aired on VTV3 and VTV4 beginning at 8pm on Oct. 31. The Moscow segment of the live broadcast was held at the Art Performance Centre of Kosmos Hotel.

Prof. Vladimir N. Kolotov, director of the Far East History Department at St Petersburg State University and chairman of the Russian-Vietnamese Friendship Association, hosted the Moscow. He speaks Vietnamese fluently.

The show depicted important historical landmarks of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union that lasted for 1,418 days and nights./.