Advertising 
Nguyen Quynh Anh
Russia has long permeated my soul, because I was brought up there for 15 years before heading back to Vietnam. Moscow and St. Petersburg, the two largest cities in Russia, occupy the greatest place in my heart and mind.
I returned to the Land of Poplars in late May and early June. Following a long bleak and uninspiring winter, the snow had thawed. Russia had donned its summer veil. Slightly chilly nights accompanied long sun-drenched days. Lush green trees and cheerful flowers in full bloom filled the air with perfume and a sense of vitality. This is my favorite season in Russia, delighting me even more than the golden autumn. Spring is a time to stroll and enjoy the fresh revitalizing air.
Moscow
Following a ten-year absence, Moscow met me with her splendid beauty. What were once dilapidated buildings in the downtown had been restored. Streets and public spaces had been planned in a civilized manner, giving the city a much cleaner and more sophisticated look.
Moscow is a city of sprawling boulevards and splendid old buildings dwarfed by high-rises and apartment blocks. Vast parks and poplar forests lie within the city’s reach. Moscow is a trove of mysterious treasures, full of exciting contradictions to explore. The recent economic meltdown and dwindling value of the ruble have pushed Russia’s private service sector to become more dynamic and competitive. Russia’s tourism industry has become more diverse and attractive in terms of both price and quality.
Moscow has its fair share of iconic sites. Red Square, Russia’s heart, and a number of monuments in Kremlin Palace are usually among visitors’ first stops. During my student days, my favorite spot was the GUM Department Store, an old building with an imposing glass dome in the middle of the square.
If you have limited time, the city’s rivers provide good ways to get across Moscow and explore. Traveling by boat, tourists can pass through all the city’s key landmarks within a single day. You can stop at any harbor. The world’s highest cathedral of Christ the Saviour is visible from the river, as is the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU) located on the Sparrows Hills, which hosted many generations of Vietnamese students.
A visit to Moscow in the early summer is enriched by a stop at Novodevichy Cemetery and Monastery, a sacred place, where many famous Russians were laid to rest. To escape the urban hustle and bustle and recharge in nature, head to Kolomenskoye Park, a vast space with countless plants and flowers in bloom.
I ended my trip to Moscow with a visit to the town of Sergiev Posad on the city’s outskirts, famous for the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra Monastery, one of the most important Russian Orthodox hubs for centuries. This was the perfect spot to encounter Russia’s soul: profound, tender and affectionate.
St. Petersburg
Leaving Moscow, I jumped aboard the Nevsky Express train for St. Petersburg. Traveling at speeds up to 200kph, it’s easy to forget the 800km distance that separates these two cities.
St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, is nestled by the Neva River bordering the Gulf of Finland. Early June in the so-called “Venice of the North” is radiant, albeit quite cold. In contrast to Moscow, a capital formed over centuries and planned with ring roads and central avenues, St. Petersburg is a “younger” city that was carefully planned from the beginning with straight streets and boulevards. Its intertwined canals and countless bridges of all sizes, hundreds of museums and cultural monuments make it one of the most mesmerizing tourist destinations in the world. Sites that can’t be missed include the Winter Palace and Hermitage Art Museum by the Neva, Catherine Palace, and the Summer Peterhof Palace with its world-famous fountains.
St. Petersburg is full of marvelous and extravagant buildings that date back to the days of the Tsars, and a fascinating sense of glittering romance and tranquility. Strolling through its alleyways and along its downtown canals past lovely cafés and restaurants, I immediately fell for this city.
Despite tumultuous changes, the soul and spirit of the Russia I knew remain here to stay. Moscow and St. Petersburg have retained their charm and look even more beautiful, modern and well-preserved, welcoming travelers from all walks of life.
