Saint Petersburg (VNA) – As part oftheir trip to Russia, President Tran Dai Quang, his spouse and a high-rankingdelegation of Vietnam on July 1 visited Saint Petersburg which is considered asthe “northern capital city” of Russia. 

Saint Petersburg is Russia’s second largestindustrial centre, after Moscow, with advantages in machine manufacturing andshipbuilding. 

The flow of investments in the city increased by40 percent annually, mainly focusing on industry, construction,telecommunications, transport and trade. 

With 221 museums, 2,000 libraries, more than 80theatres, 62 cinemas, 100 music chambers and 45 galleries, Saint Petersburg isalso the second largest tourism centre of Russia. 

While in Saint Petersburg, President Quang laida wreath at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery which is dedicated tovictims of the Siege of Leningrad and soldiers ofthe Leningrad Front. 

Writing on the visitors’ book at the cemetery,the President expressed his emotion when visiting the place witnessing thesacrifice of soldiers who laid down their lives to bring peace to Russia andmankind.

President Quang and his entourage came to see Russia’s historic cruiser Aurora,which took part in World War I and II and has been touted as a revolution iconsince it fired a shot to beckon the last attack at the Winter Palace inPetrograd on November 11, 1917. To date, the cruiser is being preserved andoperated as a museum.

Earlier, President Quang and his entourage also went on a tour of the WinterPalace, part of the Hermitage Museum which displays some 3 million artworks.-VNA