Ahead of General Secretary To Lam 's historic official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria, a VNA reporter in Central Europe interviewed the Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria, Nguyen Minh Nguyet, about the messages and expectations from this visit.
The following is the content of the interview:
- Ambassador, could you please explain the significance of General Secretary To Lam's official visit to Bulgaria and the context in which it took place?
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Nguyet: The official visit of General Secretary To Lam to the Republic of Bulgaria is of historical significance and is especially anticipated by the people of both countries.
This is the first visit of the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Bulgaria in 50 years, marking a new stage in the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria.
The visit takes place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1950-2025), a relationship that is loyal, trustworthy, and has been tested and nurtured over decades, from the years of struggle for national independence to the process of national construction and development.
This also marks the fourth high-level exchange in the past three years, demonstrating the strong political relationship and strategic trust between the leaders of both sides.
Furthermore, the visit takes place against the backdrop of both Vietnam and Bulgaria achieving many outstanding accomplishments in socio-economic development and regional and international integration.
With a determination to innovate and integrate deeply, Vietnam is implementing the Central Committee's strategic resolutions, accelerating institutional reforms and streamlining the administrative apparatus.
Just days after the visit, Vietnam continued to make its mark by hosting the signing ceremony of the United Nations' "Hanoi Convention" on combating cybercrime – a clear testament to the country's increasingly high standing and prestige on the international stage.
Bulgaria joined the Schengen Free Movement Area after 13 years of effort, is preparing to join the Eurozone from January 1, 2026, and is actively working towards membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Bulgaria has expressed its desire to further promote relations with Vietnam. In this context, General Secretary To Lam's visit symbolizes the political trust, unwavering loyalty, and shared aspirations of the two peoples, creating new momentum to elevate Vietnam-Bulgaria relations to a new level, worthy of the 75-year tradition of friendship and the immense potential for cooperation between the two countries, which occupy two important geostrategic positions in Southeast Asia and Southeast Europe.
Ambassador, how has the friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria been formed and strengthened over the past 75 years?
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Nguyet: Vietnam and Bulgaria established diplomatic relations on February 8, 1950, at a time when Vietnam was facing many difficulties in its struggle for national independence.
The fact that Bulgaria was one of the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam demonstrates the pure international solidarity and valuable support of the Bulgarian people for Vietnam's national liberation cause.
As early as 1957, President Ho Chi Minh set foot in Bulgaria, demonstrating the early close and trusting relationship between the two nations.
Over the past 75 years, relations between the two countries have remained stable, trustworthy, and increasingly profound, based on a foundation of history, politics, and the close emotional ties between the two peoples.
An important testament to this strong relationship is the fact that over 30,000 Vietnamese people have lived, studied, and worked in Bulgaria in previous decades. They have contributed to the development of both Bulgaria and Vietnam. These are living witnesses, helping to record the friendly relationship between the two countries.
Continuing that tradition, the Vietnamese community in Bulgaria today, though not large in number, remains united, hardworking, and deeply connected to their homeland. They also play a role as a bridge of friendship, preserving Vietnamese culture and contributing to strengthening the good relations between the people of the two countries.
- Ambassador, could you summarize some of the outstanding achievements in cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria in recent times?
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Nguyet: In recent years, amidst many global changes, the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship has maintained positive development momentum, with numerous exchanges of delegations, high-level contacts, and practical cooperation initiatives.
Besides regular exchanges of high-level delegations, in May 2024, the two countries successfully held the 24th session of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation in Sofia.
During the meeting, both sides comprehensively reviewed the progress of cooperation and identified new priority areas such as the digital economy, information technology, innovation, biomedical science, green transformation, and training and supplying high-quality human resources.
In the economic and trade sector, both sides have actively implemented cooperation programs within the framework of the Vietnam-European Union Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), thereby expanding market access opportunities and diversifying supply chains for businesses in both countries.
In 2024, bilateral trade volume increased by nearly 30% compared to the previous year, reflecting a positive recovery and growth trend.
In the first nine months of this year, exports of many of Vietnam's key products to Bulgaria continued to maintain impressive growth, especially agricultural products, textiles, and light industrial goods.
In the investment sector, the Bulgarian Parliament ratified the Vietnam-European Union Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in September 2023, creating a more favorable legal framework for bilateral cooperation.
Bulgarian businesses are increasingly interested in the Vietnamese market in the fields of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, renewable energy, agricultural processing, and logistics.
Conversely, Vietnamese businesses view Bulgaria as a "gateway" to the European Union (EU) market, thanks to its strategic geographical location, developed transportation infrastructure, and significantly improved business environment.
Bulgaria is also considered a potential location with reasonable production costs, making it suitable for Vietnamese businesses to invest in the production of processed agricultural products, textiles, and footwear, thereby expanding their presence in the European market.
Labor cooperation is emerging as a promising new direction. Due to Bulgaria's labor shortage, an increasing number of Vietnamese workers are going to work in sectors such as construction, mechanics, food processing, and healthcare.
Vietnamese workers are highly regarded for their skills, discipline, and sense of responsibility, leaving a positive impression on Bulgarian society. Both sides wish to establish a new cooperation mechanism on labor, aiming for sustainable, humane, and mutually beneficial cooperation, while strengthening ties between the people of the two countries.
Educational and scientific cooperation continues to be a highlight. Annually, both sides maintain student and postgraduate exchanges under the Education Cooperation Agreement between the two governments. Many universities and research institutes have signed academic and research cooperation agreements.
In the 2025-2026 academic year, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training will for the first time send Vietnamese language lecturers to teach at Sofia University, marking a new development in academic and linguistic exchange.
Cultural cooperation, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges continue to be strongly promoted. The Vietnam-Bulgaria and Bulgaria-Vietnam Friendship Associations regularly coordinate the organization of photo exhibitions, friendship exchanges, film screenings, and events promoting Vietnamese culture and cuisine in Bulgaria, contributing to strengthening the bond and enhancing understanding between the two nations.
The Vietnamese community in Bulgaria plays a bridging role in fostering friendship and actively participates in local social and cultural activities.
Following Vietnam's decision to grant visa exemptions to Bulgarian citizens starting in August 2025, tourism businesses in both countries have been promoting cooperation to connect tour routes, particularly focusing on cultural tourism, heritage sites, and beach resorts.
Additionally, the two sides are exploring the possibility of cooperation in the fields of sports and creative culture, leveraging Bulgaria's strengths in gymnastics, classical music, and theatrical arts.
Local cooperation is also vibrant. Localities in both countries are proactively seeking opportunities for twinning and development cooperation, contributing to deepening bilateral cooperation. These comprehensive results show that the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship is entering a more dynamic, substantive, and comprehensive phase of development, based on traditional friendship, political trust, and strong bonds of affection between the people of the two countries.
Ambassador, could you please explain how political trust between the two countries is demonstrated and what role it plays in Vietnam-Bulgaria relations?
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Nguyet: One of the key factors contributing to the continuous development of Vietnam-Bulgaria relations is the consistently high level of political trust. Vietnam considers Bulgaria a reliable traditional partner, playing a bridging role between Vietnam and the EU.
For their part, Bulgarian leaders have consistently affirmed that Vietnam is a top priority partner in Southeast Asia, while also supporting Vietnam in strengthening comprehensive relations with the EU.
The two countries maintain regular exchanges of delegations and high-level contacts, as well as closely coordinate and support each other in regional and international forums, demonstrating mutual understanding, shared interests, and perspectives on many international issues of common concern.
The leaders of the two countries share many similarities in their development vision, both aiming for peace, cooperation, integration, and sustainable development, based on respect for international law, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of each nation.
Both sides reaffirmed their support for multilateralism and a rules-based international order, with the United Nations at its center; emphasizing respect for and full compliance with international law, peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with the UN Charter, and the non-threat or use of force.
Built on a foundation of strong political trust, Vietnam-Bulgaria relations are opening up many new avenues for cooperation amidst a world undergoing significant transformation driven by global trends.
Ambassador, could you please outline the directions and prospects for cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria in the coming period?
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Nguyet: The two countries have many favorable conditions to promote comprehensive cooperation and leverage each other's complementary strengths.
Potential areas include green transformation and digitalization, leveraging Bulgaria's technology and innovation combined with Vietnam's manufacturing capabilities; education, science and technology, promoting joint research in smart agriculture, biomedical science, and clean energy; tourism and people-to-people exchanges, aiming to open direct flights and enhance the promotion of the image of both countries; local and business cooperation, organizing annual economic and trade forums, and promoting substantive connectivity.
General Secretary To Lam's official visit to Bulgaria demonstrates the strong political determination of both countries to elevate Vietnam-Bulgaria relations to a new level, for the peace, prosperity, and sustainable development of each nation and both peoples.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/hanh-trinh-75-nam-huu-nghi-viet-nam-bulgaria-cung-co-niem-tin-nang-tam-hop-tac-post1071711.vnp
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