Vietnam's national flag is hoisted at the opening ceremony of the Army Games 2020 in Russia on August 23, 2020.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Vietnam People's Army Ngo Minh Tien, head of the Vietnamese military delegation, said, “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, this festival affirms that Russia is an important partner of Vietnam, and military diplomacy and cooperation and defense are pillars of that partnership.”

Lieutenant General Ngo Minh Tien talks with members of the Vietnamese team participating in the Army Games 2020. (Photo: Trong Hai)

“This event will add to the success of the Cross-Year of Friendship 2019-2020 between Vietnam and Russia. The Vietnamese competitors will prove their combat readiness and try to learn from other countries' experience so as to become more competitive,” said Mr. Tien.

Attending the opening ceremony were Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and senior officials of the Russian government. President Vladimir Putin delivered an online opening speech.

This year’s military technical forum "Armya 2020"  will run for one week. The Army Games will run until September 5 concurrently in 5 countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Russia. Participating in this year's games are 156 teams from 32 countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa.