On March 8, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov arrived in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, where he held a number of business meetings. In Ho Chi Minh City, he met with a member of the Politburo, secretary of the party committee, Professor Nguyen Thien Nhan. At the end of the meeting, he presented a memorable gift to the professor—a chess set.
On the same day, friendly meetings were held with the former President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Minh Triet and former Vice-President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Mrs Truong My Hoa. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov presented the former President with Kalmyk chess set. The meeting was attended by Russian politician Oleg Mitvol.
Mrs Truong My Hoa recalled with great warmth her visit to Elista and conveyed her warm greetings to the residents of the Republic of Kalmykia. Currently she heads a charitable foundation that patronizes over 300 orphanages inmates, pays for their education including abroad. The former Vice-President expressed interest in sending Vietnamese students to Russia for training in chess.
