Sofia (VNA) - Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet met with leaders of the Agricultural University Plovdiv on October 13 to drive cooperation in education, scientific research and agricultural technology transfer.
Talking with Rector Prof. Boryana Ivanova, Nguyet commended the university’s long tradition in education and research, calling both key pillars of the two countries’ traditional friendship, particularly after ties were elevated to a strategic partnership in October 2025.
She urged both sides to speed up the delivery of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2023 between Agricultural University Plovdiv and the Vietnam National University of Agriculture. They should review outcomes, set priority areas and pick feasible activities to launch from 2027, she said. She also called for closer collaboration among universities, research institutes and businesses to better align research with production needs and accelerate technology transfer.
Ivanova, for her part, said the university values cooperation with Vietnam and stays ready to share experience and expertise and explore joint research and technology transfer opportunities.
According to her, the Agricultural University Plovdiv is one of Bulgaria’s leading establishments in agricultural education. It ranked first in crop production and plant protection and second in animal husbandry in Bulgaria’s 2025 higher education ranking.
Its strengths span plant breeding, plant biotechnology, cultivation techniques, plant protection, viticulture and winemaking, as well as research into essential oil crops, medicinal plants and sustainable agriculture. It teaches courses in English on plant protection, plant biotechnology, agricultural economics, tourism and environment, and offers academic exchanges, scholarships and Erasmus+ programme for international students.
The two sides identified areas with cooperation potential, including research and breeding of crop varieties adapted to climate change, essential oil and medicinal plants, high technology, greenhouse technology and post-harvest processing.
Proposed activities include exchanges of lecturers, students and doctoral candidates, scientific workshops, short-term training courses and joint research projects.
Both sides agreed to keep their technical focal points in contact, advance the existing MoU and explore new cooperation suited to each country’s strengths and needs.
The Vietnamese Embassy stands ready to facilitate connections and turn cooperation in agricultural education, research and technology transfer into practical results, Nguyet said.
The same day, the ambassador visited Gimel Organic in Pazardzhik city to learn about its operations and meet Vietnamese workers employed there. The company produces and packages organic agricultural products, including cucumbers, tomatoes, vegetables and packaged lettuce, for export to European markets. It employs 35 Vietnamese workers, some for about five years, and is completing procedures to recruit more.
Nguyet pledged to look after the welfare of Vietnamese citizens abroad and protect their legitimate rights and interests. She also urged the company to keep ensuring proper working and living conditions and safeguard Vietnamese workers’ legitimate rights and interests, while staying in coordination with the embassy to promptly address any issues that arise./.
