Bulgaria holds official welcome ceremony for Vietnamese Party leader
VOV.VN - Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his spouse hosted a solemn ceremony at St. Alexander Nevsky Square in central Sofia on the morning of October 23 (local time), to welcome General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, who are on an official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria.

As a motorcade carrying Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse arrived at the square, they were greeted with full honors by the guard of honor and the military band.
President Rumen Radev and his spouse welcomed the Vietnamese Party leader and his spouse at the drop-off point, exchanged handshakes, and escorted them to the red carpet and the place of honor. The guard commander extended greetings to the Vietnamese guests. Amid the solemn atmosphere, the national anthems of both countries were played with both nations’ flags raised high.
Afterwards, the two leaders introduced members of their respective official delegations and reviewed the guard of honor.
Immediately following the ceremony, General Secretary To Lam and his spouse, together with President Rumen Radev and his spouse, laid a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in tribute to Bulgaria’s fallen heroes.
Vietnam and Bulgaria established diplomatic relations on February 8, 1950. Bulgaria was among the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, demonstrating sincere international solidarity and the valuable support of the Bulgarian people for Vietnam’s struggle for national liberation.
President Ho Chi Minh visited Bulgaria as early as 1957, marking the early foundation of a close and trustworthy relationship between the two nations.
The visit takes place as the two countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1950–2025), a faithful, time-tested friendship that has been nurtured through decades of both wartime solidarity and peacetime development.
This visit provides an opportunity for senior leaders of both nations to review the achievements in bilateral cooperation and outline strategic orientations to further take the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria to new heights, particularly in fields where Bulgaria has strengths and Vietnam has growing demand, such as information technology, quantum science, artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, green transition, and biomedicine.