Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet has paid a working visit to Varna – Bulgaria’s leading maritime economic and shipbuilding hub, highlighting the countries' significant potential for cooperation in the maritime sector.
During the visit on July 24–25, Nguyet came to the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy and had a working session with its Director Rear Admiral Kalin Kalinov.
Nguyet cited Bulgarian Minister of Defence Atanas Zapryanov as saying at a meeting with the Vietnamese ambassador on July 11 that the Bulgarian side wishes to enhance defence ties with Vietnam. She suggested several cooperation directions, including establishing a defence policy dialogue mechanism and promoting academic and experience exchanges between military training institutions of the two countries.
The diplomat also highlighted the long-standing educational cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria and expressed her hope for enhanced collaboration with the Naval Academy, particularly in maritime training.
For his part, Kalinov shared that the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy currently trains around 250 military cadets and 3,500 civilian students, with 40–50% majoring in information technology. International students make up 8% of the student body—the second-highest rate in Bulgaria, after Sofia Medical University. The academy pays special attention to high-tech fields such as cybersecurity and aerospace, and is one of the only two institutions in Bulgaria offering specialised training in these areas.
He praised the academic achievements of Vietnamese alumni and expressed a strong interest in fostering cooperation with Vietnam, especially in civilian maritime education. He also called for support in connecting the academy with Vietnamese maritime universities.
As part of her trip, Nguyet also visited Dolphin Shipyard, one of Bulgaria’s largest and most advanced shipbuilding facilities.
At the meeting, Plamen Manushev, Advisor to the Director of the facility, said the shipyard was founded in 1991 and currently employs more than 550 highly skilled engineers and technicians, along with 200 contract workers.
Dolphin Shipyard specialises in building and repairing sea-going vessels, meeting quality standards set by the EU, NATO, and international maritime organisations. Manushev highly valued Vietnam’s potential in the shipbuilding industry and expressed the company’s willingness to establish partnerships with Vietnamese enterprises, firstly in the recruitment of technical workers.
Nguyet noted that during her recent meeting with Bulgarian Minister of Labour and Social Policy Biser Gutsanov, the two sides discussed the possibility of labour cooperation. She affirmed the readiness to help connect Dolphin Shipyard with Vietnamese businesses to promote practical and effective collaboration that meets the needs of both countries./.
