Vietnam and Bulgaria look towards a future of practical and effective cooperation

General Secretary To Lam's visit to Bulgaria is a vivid demonstration of the sincere friendship, deep ties and strong affection between the people of Bulgaria and Vietnam.

At the invitation of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will pay an official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria from October 22-24, 2025.

The visit takes place at a very meaningful time, when Vietnam and Bulgaria celebrate the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations and this is the first visit by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam after Bulgaria's institutional transformation in 1990.

On this occasion, VNA correspondents in Europe had a conversation with Ms. Kadrinka Kadrinova, Bulgarian journalist and writer, author of the books “Vietnam - Phoenix and Dragon” (2009, 2010) and “Vietnam Miracle” (2020), and many other press publications.

She was awarded the Order of Friendship of Vietnam (2010). Since 2024, she is a member of the Bulgarian Electronic Media Council appointed by President Rumen Radev.

Ms. Kadrinova said that over the past 75 years, the relationship between Vietnam and Bulgaria has been built and developed in a positive direction, and there is still great untapped potential to continue to consolidate, expand and deepen in the current international context.

According to her, the bilateral relationship between the two countries has a long history, formed on the foundation of effective cooperation and mutual trust. That relationship is also nurtured by warm friendship and deep attachment - a precious asset of both peoples.

She recalled that Bulgarian experts had helped Vietnam in difficult times, while tens of thousands of Vietnamese people had received training and professional development in Bulgaria. Today, this force is the core of the active Vietnam-Bulgaria friendship associations. She also noted that the Bulgaria-Vietnam Friendship Association has always been very active, and that people-to-people diplomacy is a common strength of the two countries.

Regarding State-level relations, Ms. Kadrinova said this is a field that is developing strongly, demonstrated by the increased exchange of official delegations, including high-level and highest-level delegations, over the past 15 years.

She assessed that President Rumen Radev's visit to Vietnam in November 2024 opened up new horizons in bilateral relations, and expressed her expectation for the upcoming visit of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam to Bulgaria - an event expected to create new momentum for friendship and cooperation between the two countries in key areas.

President Luong Cuong meets with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA)

In 2025 - the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Bulgarian journalist was very pleased to have the opportunity to visit Vietnam for the 6th time and witness with his own eyes the impressive progress of the S-shaped strip of land.

She said that together with Mr. Simeon Dimchev, Chairman of the Bulgaria-Vietnam Friendship Association and veteran expert on Vietnam Stoyanka Dimitrova, she had an 11-day working trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau, Da Lat, Hanoi and Hai Phong in August and September this year. The trip was made at the invitation of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Friendship Association and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (September 2, 1945) - the day President Ho Chi Minh, the great leader of the nation, read the Declaration of Independence.

During the visit, the delegation attended the parade in Hanoi, listened to the speech of General Secretary To Lam, witnessed the jubilant atmosphere of the capital's people and shared the joy with Vietnamese friends as well as all the people who are striving to reach new heights of development.

According to her, this visit is a vivid demonstration of the sincere friendship, deep ties and strong affection between the people of Bulgaria and Vietnam.

Regarding the upcoming visit of the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Ms. Kadrinova said that this will be an event of special significance for the political and diplomatic relations between the two countries. Since the political turning point in 1989, Bulgaria has never welcomed a Vietnamese leader at such a high level. Therefore, she believes that this visit will contribute to bringing the Bulgaria-Vietnam relationship to a new level, while shaping strategic directions to help bilateral cooperation become more effective and more suitable to the challenges of the times.

She said that she has been closely following Vietnam’s recent development initiatives and was deeply impressed by the clear, consistent and dynamic action program of the Party and State of Vietnam. She highly appreciated Vietnam’s double-digit economic growth target, based on the pillars of science and technology development, innovation, digital transformation and green economy.

According to her, focusing on human resource development - building a modern, knowledgeable, dynamic and ethical workforce - is the most important factor for the country's success. She believes that directly learning about Vietnam's development model will bring many benefits to Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian journalist also recalled that during his visit to Vietnam in 2024, President Radev stressed the need to expand traditional cooperation between Bulgaria and Vietnam in potential areas such as robotics, software, satellites, artificial intelligence and other modern technologies. At that time, President Radev affirmed that the two countries could combine Vietnam's strong and stable economic growth with Bulgaria's achievements in digital technology and innovation.

According to her, it is clear that both sides have strong political will to turn the upcoming visit of General Secretary To Lam into an important milestone, contributing to enriching the content of the good traditional relationship between the two countries in a more modern, substantial and effective direction.

The Bulgarian journalist commented that the greatest advantage and asset in the relationship between the two countries is the traditional friendship that was nurtured from the early days of establishing diplomatic relations.

She particularly emphasized the element of connecting people, especially the approximately 30,000 Vietnamese who have studied in Bulgaria - people who always consider this country as "a second family." According to her, that is the solid foundation for long-term friendship between the two peoples.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria presents credentials to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. (Photo: Viet Thang/VNA)

Referring to the current volatile global context, she said that although the international situation is facing many uncertainties, Bulgaria-Vietnam relations are not negatively affected by those factors. She highly appreciated Vietnam's clear stance on the international arena, always maintaining good relations with all countries, promoting cooperation and diplomatic dialogue, and being an active member of most international and regional organizations and alliances.

She also stressed that Vietnam is steadfast in its stance for peace and understanding among nations, and in the Southeast Asian region, Vietnam plays an important and respected role in maintaining regional security and stability.

She said that the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union (EVFTA) is a strong driving force to promote economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Vietnam. According to her, the similarities in the development orientation of the two countries are completely in line with Bulgaria's foreign policy, creating a solid foundation for the bilateral relationship to continue to develop sustainably and bring practical benefits to the people of both sides.

When asked about the role of Bulgaria in Vietnam's foreign policy in Eastern Europe, Ms. Kadrinova said that for many years there has been a view that, based on the foundation of traditional friendship, Bulgaria can absolutely become a "door" for Vietnam to access Europe, especially Eastern Europe. In the opposite direction, Vietnam can also be a "door" to help Bulgaria expand relations and cooperation with Southeast Asia.

She said that this potential has not yet been fully exploited, but she believes that the time has come for both sides to proactively promote this direction. According to her, the important thing now is that Vietnam and Bulgaria need to jointly identify specific steps, in line with each country's development priorities, to turn this potential cooperation into reality.

Sharing her expectations for the upcoming visit, journalist Kadrinova expressed her hope that the visit of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam will create a substantial step towards establishing a strategic partnership between Bulgaria and Vietnam.

According to her, this goal can be achieved through deepening bilateral cooperation with specific, practical, ambitious and effective cooperation programs, especially in high-tech and modern fields of mutual interest.

According to her, with the foundation of a sustainable friendship and rich potential for cooperation, the two countries can absolutely share a successful, dynamic and inspiring common future - for the prosperous development of both nations./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-bulgaria-cung-huong-toi-tuong-lai-hop-tac-thuc-chat-va-hieu-qua-post1071983.vnp