Nearly 100 former military experts from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus converged at a meeting in Moscow on August 5 to cast their memories back at a time in Vietnam when they had assisted Vietnamese soldiers in fighting the US imperialists.

Present at the event were also President of the Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association Vladimia Petrovich Buianop, Chairman of the Association of Russian Military Experts in Vietnam Col. Nikolai Kolesnik, and nearly 50 other guests.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Pham Xuan Son stressed that Vietnam never forgets the merit services rendered by the former Russian experts during the struggle towards the liberation of its southern region and the ultimate national unification then.

“Enormous assistance provided by Russian friends has helped us live in peace and develop our economy these days,” Ambassador Son said, pledging to go to the whole length to foster closer ties between Vietnam and Russia.

The former expert from Moscow, Kanaev Vyacheslav Mikhailovich, emotionally recalled what three Vietnamese missile soldiers did to protect him from dangers during the war.
This year’s meeting turned to the 44th and August 5 is annually celebrated for recording the first victory of Vietnam’s northern armed forces and people against the US troops.-VNA