The celebrations was attended by: Mr Dang Minh Khoi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Russia; Professor Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Sergey Andryushin, Vice-Rector for International Activities of St Petersburg University; Sergei Belov, Dean of the Faculty of Law at St Petersburg University; Vladimir Kolotov, Head of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at St Petersburg University; and Vladimir Antoshchenko, Chairman of the Council of academic programmes focused on the Vietnamese Studies at St Petersburg University. 

Rector of St Petersburg University Nikolay Kropachev addressed the participants of the flower-laying ceremony at the first monument to the outstanding Vietnamese leader in St Petersburg. "We honour the memory of Ho Chi Minh, a great man who will never be forgotten at St Petersburg University. Ho Chi Minh’s works and legacy are celebrated and studied; and his contribution to the establishment of cooperation between Russia and Vietnam will always be remembered at the University.

19 May, Ho Chí Minh’s birthday, is a public holiday in Vietnam.

Rector Nikolay Kropachev drew the attention of the students in the Asian and African Studies programmes, who attended the ceremony, to the importance of forging an interdisciplinary educational path. "Trade missions and large businesses are seeking not just linguists and interpreters, but economists, medical professionals, lawyers, tourism experts and other practice-oriented professionals with language skills," said Nikolay Kropachev. "Keep this in mind and take full advantage of the opportunities you are given by the University to build your educational paths now.

As per tradition, the celebration of Ho Chi Minh’s birthday at St Petersburg University brought together not only Russian experts in Vietnamese Studies, but also representatives of the Vietnamese diaspora, business community, and students studying in St Petersburg.

"The first president of Vietnam devoted much effort to establishing friendship between our countries," said Professor Vladimir Kolotov, Director of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at St Petersburg University. "It is wonderful that at St Petersburg University, which is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year, there is a small corner of Vietnam — a monument to Ho Chi Minh — which always unites friends of Russia and Vietnam." 

The flower-laying ceremony at the monument to Ho Chi Minh was also attended by: representatives of the St Petersburg branch of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union; the Vietnamese Society in St Petersburg; and Vietnamese students, cadets and academics of different universities in St Petersburg, including: the Kuznetsov Naval Academy; the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy; Baltic State Technical University "Voenmeh"; Saint Petersburg Mining University; Herzen University; ITMO University; Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI"; and other institutions of higher education.

In 2023, St Petersburg University was awarded the Friendship Order — Vietnam’s highest honour conferred to foreign organisations

Comrade Vo Nguyên Giap, Secretary of the St Petersburg branch of the Communist Party of Vietnam, spoke about the influence of Russian culture and political ideas on Ho Chi Minh and development of his country. "The Soviet Union recognised the state of Vietnam, established diplomatic relations and provided great moral support and financial assistance to the fighting people of Vietnam; thus, making an important contribution to our country’s victory in the war for national independence," said Comrade Vo Nguyen Giap.

As part of the celebrations, Professor Vladimir Kolotov delivered the lecture "The 70th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien Phu victory", dedicated to the battle at Dien Bien Phủ that brought an end to French colonial rule in Vietnam and the liberation of the northern part of Vietnam. This example was used to illustrate the practical application of ancient Chinese strategematics, the Sun Tzu’s military treatise "The Art of War", modernised by Ho Chi Minh for his compatriots. 

"Strategematics is a powerful cognitive weapon that has many advantages. It does not rust or corrode over time and it enables making the right decisions under difficult conditions, such as: limited time and harsh confrontation," emphasised Vladimir Kolotov. "Even just trawling through the classic strategems to analyse the operational situation is more useful in the era of neo-colonial wars than drowning oneself in the chaos of conflicting information." Also, as part of the celebrations of the 134th birth anniversary of the first President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh, St Petersburg University was visited by Mr Phan Anh Sơn, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations.