Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Bulgaria are seeking to broaden cooperation across major localities, with Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet paying a working visit to the cities of Shumen and Varna last week to promote local-level partnerships, business connectivity, education and people-to-people exchanges.
During her visit to Shumen, Nguyet attended celebrations marking Shumen Day and held meetings with local leaders.
Talking to Mayor Hristo Hristov, the ambassador praised Shumen’s role as an important historical, cultural and industrial centre of Bulgaria while affirming that Vietnam always treasures its traditional friendship and Strategic Partnership with Bulgaria.
She expressed her hope for stronger locality-to-locality cooperation in areas including education – training, agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, cultural tourism and business links.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Bulgaria, she said, stands ready to act as a bridge to facilitate practical cooperation between the two countries' localities and enterprises.
For his part, Hristov noted that Shumen is prioritising the development of industry, logistics, high-tech agriculture and cultural tourism, and wishes to expand cooperation with Vietnam across a range of fields.
As part of the trip, Nguyet also visited the Shumen industrial park, several major local businesses, and a production facility operated by Unifood Bulgaria, a company established by a Vietnamese entrepreneur.
On May 13–14, the ambassador continued her working visit in the port city of Varna.
At a meeting with Deputy Mayor Snejana Apostolova, Nguyet highlighted Varna’s role as a major economic, maritime and tourism hub of Bulgaria, as well as a strategic gateway for trade in the Black Sea region.
She noted that the Vietnam – Bulgaria Strategic Partnership has opened up fresh opportunities for cooperation in logistics, maritime transport, port operations, information technology, education and coastal tourism. The ambassador proposed stronger links between Varna and Vietnam's coastal cities such as Hai Phong and Da Nang, alongside enhanced business cooperation, workforce training and promotion of Vietnamese culture and tourism in Bulgaria.
Apostolova affirmed that the Varna administration values cooperation with Asian partners, including Vietnam, and pledged support for stronger business, investment and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries./.
VNA
