The mayor of St. Vlas and the Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria, H.E. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet, on January 12 discussed opportunities for tourism development and securing a qualified workforce from Vietnam during a meeting in the Black Sea resort town. The delegation was invited by Veselin Koshev, Chairman of the Bulgarian Construction and Trade Consortium and the Euro-Asian Association for Business, Culture, and Friendship.
Mayor Ivan Nikolov highlighted that St. Vlas is among the fastest-growing resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. He noted that numerous construction and infrastructure projects are currently underway, creating favourable conditions for attracting foreign investment.
“I am very impressed by Vietnam’s achievements, and we welcome all forms of cooperation,” Nikolov said.
He expressed hope that the Vietnamese delegation’s visit would open opportunities for business contacts and attract investors from the Asian country. Nikolov also pointed out that the shortage of skilled labour is a serious challenge, not only for St. Vlas or Bulgaria, but across Europe.
Ambassador Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet stated that Vietnamese workers are employed worldwide and are highly qualified in various fields, making them a reliable resource for Bulgaria. She noted that the labour ministries of Vietnam and Bulgaria have already signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at facilitating the issuance of work visas for Vietnamese citizens. She added that the embassy’s programme for this year includes an online meeting and forum focused on collaboration in labour migration.
Veselin Koshev confirmed that the organisations he represents are ready to assist in attracting workers from Vietnam for the St. Vlas region and other parts of the country. According to him, the main challenge remains the visa regime. He emphasised that Bulgaria has positive experience with Vietnamese workers in the past, who are known for their diligence and reliability.
The ambassador also highlighted the potential for cooperation between Bulgaria and Vietnam in tourism, the spa industry, real estate, and workforce training.
H.E. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet noted that this was her second visit to St. Vlas and that she was impressed by the resort’s pace of development, particularly since 2000.
During the meeting, discussions also covered potential collaboration in tourism, culture, the exchange of best practices, workforce training, and even the possibility of twinning St. Vlas with a Vietnamese resort town.
The meeting in St. Vlas was also attended by three first secretaries of the Vietnamese Embassy in Bulgaria—Nguyen Doan Minh, Truong Ngoc Nam, and Nguyen Than Hai—as well as Apostol Hristov, a member of the leadership of the Bulgarian Construction and Trade Consortium and the Euro-Asian Association for Business, Culture, and Friendship.
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