The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia on Sept. 22 hosted a ceremony to promote Vietnam ’s tourist industry in the country.

Attending the ceremony were the heads of the ministry, the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Russian Federal Tourism Agency (RFTA) along with representatives from 145 Vietnamese and Russian travel agencies.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh highlighted the strengths of Vietnam ’ tourist industry. He said almost 83,000 Russian holiday-makers arrived in Vietnam last year, up 50 percent over the previous year.

The Minister expressed the hope that the number of Russian visitors to Vietnam and that of Vietnamese tourists to Russia will increase in the future. He added this would contribute to further developing the traditional friendship, mutual-benefit cooperation and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Deputy Head of RFTA Grigory Sarishvili said Vietnam ’s beautiful landscape, hospitality, tasty food and low-priced services have made it more popular among Russian visitors.

During the ceremony, participants also saw two films on popular sites in Vietnam. /.