The consensus was reached during a meeting between Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet and Bulgarian Minister of Tourism Ilin Dimitrov in Sofia on July 8 (local time).

Both sides considered tourism as one of the most promising areas of bilateral cooperation, noting its role not only in promoting economic growth but also in enhancing people-to-people exchanges, mutual understanding and broader collaboration in trade, investment, education and culture. They agreed that both countries are seeking to diversify their tourism markets, develop new tourism products and strengthen links between travel businesses.

Nguyet proposed the two countries begin work on a Tourism Cooperation Programme for 2027–2030 between the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism to provide a framework for regular tourism promotion activities, market information sharing, workforce training and business networking.

   She also suggested increasing familiarisation trips, organising business-to-business (B2B) forums, developing a shared database of tourism enterprises, promoting each country's tourism potential and products, and coordinating efforts to facilitate visa procedures for organised tour groups.

Ilin Dimitrov welcomed these proposals and agreed on the need for a new cooperation framework that reflects current development priorities. He said the two sides can soon begin drafting a new cooperation programme to replace the previous agreement.

Regarding future cooperation, the minister stressed that priority should be given to strengthening connections between tourism enterprises through market survey missions and B2B events hosted in both Bulgaria and Vietnam. He noted that a stronger business network will help assess market demand more accurately and provide a basis for studying the feasibility of launching direct air links between the two countries.

The two sides also identified tourism education and training as a key pillar of bilateral cooperation. Dimitrov said Bulgaria has extensive experience in tourism education through its universities and expressed interest in establishing partnerships with Vietnamese educational institutions.

Both sides agreed to explore opportunities under European Union cooperation programmes, particularly Erasmus+, to promote exchanges of lecturers and students, scientific research and the development of a highly skilled tourism workforce.

The Bulgarian minister also affirmed that he will work with relevant authorities to facilitate visa issuance for Vietnamese tourists.

The shared commitment to enhancing business connectivity, expanding training cooperation, stepping up tourism promotion and establishing a new bilateral cooperation framework is expected to inject fresh momentum into tourism ties and further strengthen the traditional friendship and partnership between Vietnam and Bulgaria./.