On the morning of October 23 (local time), the welcoming ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation on an official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria, took place solemnly at St. Alexander Nevski Square, in the center of the capital Sofia (Bulgaria), VNA reported.
President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev and his wife presided over the welcoming ceremony.
The car carrying General Secretary To Lam and his wife entered St. Alexander Nevski Square, before the solemn welcoming of the ceremonial team and military band.
President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev and his wife welcomed General Secretary To Lam and his wife at the parking lot, shook hands, welcomed and invited General Secretary To Lam and his wife to move to the red carpet, stepping into the position of honor.
The captain of the honor guard welcomed General Secretary To Lam and his wife to visit Bulgaria. The national flags of the two countries are flown. In a solemn atmosphere, the Military band played the Vietnamese and Bulgarian national anthems.
After that, the two leaders introduced official union members of the two countries to attend the welcoming ceremony. General Secretary To Lam and President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev reviewed the honor guard.
Immediately after the welcoming ceremony, General Secretary To Lam and his wife, President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev and his wife, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, laid wreaths to commemorate the unknown soldiers at the Unknown Soldier Monument.
Vietnam and Bulgaria established diplomatic relations on February 8, 5.0. Bulgaria being 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 the cause of national liberation of Vietnam.
As early as 1957, President Ho Chi Minh set foot in Bulgaria, demonstrating the close and trusting relationship between the two peoples.
The visit took place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (1950-2025). The loyal and trusting relationship has been tested and nurtured over decades, from the years of fighting for national independence to the cause of national construction and development.
This visit is an opportunity for the two countries' senior leaders to look back on the achievements in developing relations, thereby having strategic orientations, bringing the long-standing traditional friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria to new heights, especially in areas of cooperation where Bulgaria has strengths and Vietnam has demand such as information technology, quantum, artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, green transformation, and medicine.
