Strategic Partnership: Vietnam Seeks Easier Access for Citizens Visiting Bulgaria

Vietnamese Communist Party leader To Lam has called on Bulgaria to simplify visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens to encourage more visitors to the country, during his official visit to Sofia. The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam met with President Rumen Radev on Thursday as part of celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. To Lam’s visit is also part of a wider European tour.

During the meeting, To Lam highlighted the ongoing visa-free arrangement for Bulgarian citizens, which allows travel to Vietnam for up to 45 days for tourism, effective from August 15, 2025. He also requested that Bulgaria continue supporting the integration of the Vietnamese community in the country, which currently numbers around 1,200 residents. To Lam described the discussions with Radev as very productive, noting that both sides identified new areas for cooperation.

The two countries signed a declaration elevating bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership. Both sides agreed to enhance political trust, strengthen collaboration in defence and security, education, and academic exchange, and develop economic, trade, and investment cooperation as a cornerstone of the partnership. Vietnam and Bulgaria also committed to boosting free trade with the aim of doubling bilateral trade in the coming years.

President Radev welcomed To Lam in a ceremony at St. Alexander Nevsky Square, emphasizing the longstanding friendship and mutual respect between the two nations. He highlighted the role of over 30,000 Vietnamese who studied and worked in Bulgaria decades ago, describing them as a lasting bridge between the peoples of both countries. Radev also pointed to opportunities for closer ties in defence and security, including the training of Vietnamese cadets at Bulgaria’s Georgi Benkovski Air Force Academy in Dolna Mitropolia.

As part of the visit, a business forum was opened in Sofia to explore trade and investment opportunities, reflecting both countries’ ambitions to deepen economic collaboration and strengthen strategic relations. To Lam urged Bulgaria to make visa procedures easier to foster increased people-to-people exchanges and promote tourism to what he described as “the poetic land of roses.”