There are thousands of friends of Bulgaria in Vietnam

Today, the starting point for a journey with Radio Bulgaria is Vietnam, not to look for parallels between the fate of the two countries as part of the former socialist bloc, which, although it collapsed in Europe, continues to have its foothold in this part of Asia. From the recent history of Vietnam, we know that despite the destructive war until 1975, the subsequent reforms turned the multimillion-strong country into one of the fastest developing and most attractive countries for foreign investment. After 1995, the state retained its political monopoly, but opened the doors to private initiative, family business and market mechanisms. And since then, Vietnam has been a country on the rise economically. The visits to Hanoi by US or Chinese presidents are proof of the importance of Vietnam as a partner and an unavoidable factor on the map of Asia. The country is characterized by its "bamboo stick" diplomacy - flexible, but also very resistant to foreign policy influence.

The long strip of land along the western coast of the South China Sea, the vast bays, endless terraces of rice plantations and the exotic nature make the Socialist Republic of Vietnam a true paradise for tourists, including those from Bulgaria.

Vietnam is becoming an increasingly desired destination for Bulgarian tourists

Although thousands of kilometers away, the ties between the Asian country and Bulgaria are alive and well and are reflected in the fate of hundreds of Vietnamese who came to our country for a longer period of time in the second half of the 20th century – to work or to study. Today, they not only speak our language, but also watch Bulgarian films, listen to Bulgarian pop music and even often have a map of Bulgaria hanging in their homes. Often these are people who spent their youth in Bulgaria – the Bulgarian diploma obtained during the socialist period opened up opportunities for career development. And although we are not religiously and culturally similar, the young Vietnamese have taken with them the memory of the Bulgarian rose, of the beautiful national costumes, of our delicious food and, in general, of the culture of the Bulgarians.

These days we rarely see Vietnamese tourists in Sofia, but the memory of the country in Vietnam is so warm and vivid that the "Bulgarian Vietnamese" manage to excite and move a Bulgarian woman who has chosen Asia as her second home.

Hristina Stoimenova is from Sofia, but her adventurous spirit and business activities as a fitness instructor took her to Asia. The Covid pandemic found her in Vietnam and she was forced to stay there for two years. That's when she first heard - "Remember that with us in Vietnam you always have your second home!". This is the strong thing that brings her back to the "Bulgarian Vietnamese" every year. Currently, Hristina is in Bulgaria, but hopes to move her work and life to South Asia again by the end of autumn, and again to Vietnam:

"As a traveller, this is the place that has touched me the most and I can say that it is my second home. I first found myself there in 2019 - my love of sports led me to Vietnam. During the pandemic situation, I was there for exactly 2 years without returning to Bulgaria. But these were wonderful times, associated with many memories. Despite the difficulties - not being able to be close to your family and loved ones, worrying about them - I have encountered so much warmth, respect, joy, positivity from the people in Vietnam that it was truly an incredible experience. Afterwards, it was difficult for me to even acclimatize and return to Bulgaria. Now I spend half the year here and the other half in Southeast Asia. There is a large community of Vietnamese who were here during the war. They worked in our factories, studied in our educational institutions. And they have preserved an extremely precious memory of Bulgaria.

To this day they gather, create Bulgarian folk costumes and sing Bulgarian folk songs, dance to Bulgarian folk music. They are dear and loyal friends of Bulgaria. They have also become very dear and close friends of mine. When I am with them, we always dress in Bulgarian costumes and start making recordings. We sing, dance and everyone asks about Bulgaria. Every time I bring them cheese, rakia. The same affection for Bulgaria can be found throughout Vietnam.”

Hristina's impressions are mainly from Ho Chi Minh City in the southern part of the country, where her dear friends are. "They love Bulgarian cuisine very much and keep Bulgaria in their hearts with such deep love that as a Bulgarian this has an extremely uplifting effect on me – I think we really need to know that there are places in the world where we are honoured, loved and valued as a nation," Hristina Stoimenova continues her story.

"Ho Chi Minh City is the main commercial center of Vietnam. It is a multicultural city. The population there is 10 million and there are many foreigners. Accordingly, there are many people in my field who are from all over the world and are there to develop. There I actually gained a lot of experience in working with people. I do my job with a lot of love and heart. I also teach yoga in gyms when I am here in Bulgaria. 90% of the people in Vietnam practice Buddhism. It is one of the reasons why the people there are very smiling, very positive, very friendly and appreciative of the talent of others. They are also very united as a society. What they have taught me is precisely this brotherhood, unity, this mutual support, love and exchange of positive energy.

See also:

From algorithms to clay… the story of Vu Nguyen and his life in Bulgaria