Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan have met with President of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism Alexander Radkov to discuss measure to strengthen cooperation in tourism.

At the working session, which took place within the framework of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Russia from May 12-15, the two sides agreed to actively implement signed cooperation agreements.

Accordingly, the two sides plan to organise the Vietnam-Russia Tourism Business Forum in Moscow this September, and then take turns hosting the event annually.

They also agreed to support each other in promoting each country’s potential to help the two peoples understand more about each country’s tourism values.

The Russian side is willing to help Vietnam teach the Russian to Vietnamese tour guides to serve more Russian tourists in Vietnam.

On this occasion, the two agencies signed a cooperation plan for the 2013-2015 period.

Tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Russia has seen remarkable development, contributing to Vietnam’s economic development and the two countries’ relations.

Over the past five years, Vietnam has enjoyed a 50 percent surge in the number of Russian tourists coming to the country, with 176,679 arrivals in 2012.

In the first four months of this year, 112,000 Russians came to Vietnam, a year-on-year increase of 51 percent.-VNA