Located in South East of Europe, Bulgaria has a population of 6.98 million, including approximately 3 million foreign nationals.
Despite the recent global financial turmoil, Bulgaria has made significant economic achievements. It succeeded in cutting the public debt-to-GDP ratio from 100% to the current 16% in the past decade, and kept the budget deficit and inflation within EU limits. It was also the only EU member country to have improved confidence ratings in the wake of the global recession.
Bulgaria prioritises comprehensive integration into the European Union, striving to join the Schengen Agreement and Eurozone. It plans to balance East-West relations by developing ties with the US and Russia.
Bulgaria attaches importance to strengthening ties with Asian powers such as China, Japan, India, and the Republic of Korea, as well as countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.
Political links
Bulgaria was one of the 10 countries recognising and establishing diplomatic ties with Vietnam in 1950.
President Ho Chi Minh paid a landmark visit to Sofia in August 1957, laying a foundation for the long-standing friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.
Bilateral relations developed well between 1950 and 1989, with Bulgaria providing valuable spiritual and material assistance to Vietnam’s struggle for national liberation and defence.
However, the relations ground to a halt in the early 1990s following Bulgaria’s political reshuffle, and they were resumed in 1993.
In its Asian policy, Bulgaria is keen to boost relations with Vietnam. During recent bilateral meetings, senior Bulgarian leaders expressed their desires to establish a strategic partnership with Vietnam.
Since 2000 the two countries’ top leaders have maintained regular reciprocal visits, including those to Sofia by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in 2000, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong in 2008, Deputy PM Nguyen Sinh Hung in 2010, and Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh in 2013.
Vietnam received Bulgarian parliamentary speaker Ognyan Gerdzhikov in 2004, PM SergeyStanishev in 2006 and Vice President Angel Marin in 2007.
The two countries have worked closely together at multilateral forums. Bulgaria supported Vietnam’s 2007 WTO membership, 2008-09 UN Security Council non-permanent membership and 2014-16 UN Human Rights Council membership bids.
Vietnam supported Bulgaria’s candidacy for UNESCO leadership in 2009-13 and its seat on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2011.
Economic cooperation
Two-way trade remains modest at US$70-80 million a year. To raise bilateral trade, both sides signed a new economic cooperation agreement in 2001, granting each other the most-favoured nations status.
The Vietnam-Bulgaria inter-governmental committee for economic, commercial and scientific and technological cooperation convened its 22nd meeting in Hanoi in 2012, identifying areas of cooperation in 2013.
During a Bulgaria visit in 2010 by Deputy PM Nguyen Sinh Hung, both sides signed an agreement on bilateral debt settlement, taking effect in August 2010. Under the agreement, Bulgaria agreed to transform US$600,000 out of Vietnam’s debt into its official development assistance (ODA).
Vietnam mainly exports garments, footwear, coffee, pepper, tobacco, coal and seafood to Bulgaria, and imports chemicals, pharmaceuticals, wine, machinery, shipbuilding parts, wheat, and fodder from the European nation.
As of December 2012 Bulgaria had 7 valid investment projects in Vietnam, capitalised at US$29.86 million, ranking it 57th among foreign investors in the country.
These projects were focused on manufacturing and processing industries, information and communications technology (ICT), science and technology and services. Two manufacturing and processing projects alone were valued at US$28 million, making up 93% of the total registered capital.
Progress has been made in cultural, education, security and national defence cooperation. Bulgaria has so far trained more than 4,000 scientists and experts and 30,000 skilled workers.
More than 1,000 Vietnamese are currently residing in Bulgaria. Many of them are doing business well, including IMEXCO and RD.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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