General Secretary To Lam visits the place where Uncle Ho used to stay in Bulgaria

68 years ago, in August 1957, President Ho Chi Minh - the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people, stayed at Vrana Palace during his official friendship visit to Bulgaria.

According to the special correspondent of VNA, within the framework of the official visit to Bulgaria, on the afternoon of October 23 (local time), General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation visited Vrana Palace on the outskirts of the capital Sofia.

Vrana Palace was built in the early 20th century and witnessed many important events in Bulgaria as well as in international relations.

The current owner of Vrana Palace is the former Bulgarian King Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from July 2001 to August 2005.

With special affection for the Vietnamese leader and the country and people of the S-shaped land, the former King was the one who proposed the idea of ​​installing a commemorative plaque of President Ho Chi Minh's portrait at Vrana Palace, with the wish that this place would become a symbol of the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife met with former King Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. (Photo: VNA)

During his visit to Vrana Palace, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the high-ranking delegation, met with former King Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and respectfully presented the former King with a commemorative portrait of President Ho Chi Minh to be installed at the Palace.

Speaking at the meeting, General Secretary To Lam expressed his emotion at visiting Vrana Palace, a place closely associated with the friendship between the Vietnamese and Bulgarian peoples. 68 years ago, in August 1957, President Ho Chi Minh - the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people, stayed here during his official friendship visit to Bulgaria. That historic visit opened a new stage in the traditional relationship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria.

The General Secretary expressed his appreciation for the former King's support for the idea of ​​installing a commemorative plaque of President Ho Chi Minh's portrait at the Vrana Palace; believing that this will be an everlasting symbol of friendship between the two nations, a "red address" for Vietnamese delegations as well as generations of Vietnamese people, friends and Bulgarian people to visit, remember and continue the tradition of this good relationship.

Acknowledging the former King's great contributions to the development of Bulgaria in his capacity as Prime Minister, General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam will not forget the former King's practical contributions to the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship.

During the period of the Government led by the former Emperor, the two countries signed an Economic Cooperation Agreement and granted each other most-favored-nation status, opening up favorable conditions for bilateral trade and investment. At the same time, an Educational Cooperation Agreement was also signed, thereby resuming the tradition of exchanging students and experts between the two countries.

Those achievements contribute to deepening the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria, laying the foundation for the two countries to continue expanding cooperation in many fields today.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife met with former King Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. (Photo: VNA)

Pleased to announce the results of the talks with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on October 23 and the two countries' adoption of the Joint Statement establishing a Strategic Partnership framework, General Secretary To Lam affirmed that this is an important milestone of historical significance in the relations between the two countries, conveying the message that the relationship is not only maintained on the foundation of traditional friendship, but also developed, adapted and upgraded in the context of new developments in the world and the region.

On the basis of the newly established framework of relations, the General Secretary believes that the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship will continue to be strengthened and expanded in many areas such as economic cooperation, trade, investment, culture, education, tourism and people-to-people exchange, etc., for the common interests of both peoples, for peace and prosperity of the two countries and the world.

For his part, former King Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha expressed his emotion when, after a long time, he welcomed a top Vietnamese leader to his private home. The former king affirmed that he always remembered the memories of President Ho Chi Minh when he came to Bulgaria and visited his family.

Saying that he has been following Vietnam's development closely, the former King expressed his joy at the comprehensive development achievements that Vietnam has made in recent times. He also affirmed that Bulgaria and he personally always have special affection and strong support for Vietnam's development and international integration.

Congratulating the Vietnam-Bulgaria strategic partnership, the former King hoped that the traditional friendship between the two countries would continue to be inherited and trusted after this visit by General Secretary To Lam, and that the relationship would develop even more strongly in the new period./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tong-bi-thu-to-lam-tham-noi-bac-ho-tung-o-tai-bulgaria-post1072280.vnp