Vietnam and Bulgaria Hold Great Potential for Cooperation in the Maritime Sector

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During the program, the Ambassador visited and worked with Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy - the first defense institution she has visited since her meeting with Bulgarian Minister of Defense A. Zapryanov on July 11.

Director of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy Rear Admiral Kalin Kalinov (third from left) introduces the academy's operations centre to Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet.

At the working session with Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, the Ambassador shared that Minister A.Zapryanov expressed his support for strengthening cooperation with Vietnam in the field of national defense. She also outlined several potential areas of collaboration, including the establishment of a mechanism for strategic/policy dialogue and the enhancement of regular exchanges of academic knowledge and experience between military training institutions of both countries.

Praising the long-standing, traditional cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria in training and education, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet affirmed that there is still significant room to promote bilateral cooperation in the future.

On this occasion, the Ambassador introduced to Director Rear Admiral Kalin Kalinov some of Vietnam’s strengths in the maritime sector and expressed the desire to promote training cooperation with Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy.

Rear Admiral Kalin Kalinov, Director of Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, noted that the Academy currently trains 250 military cadets and 3,500 civilian students. Among them, 40–50% are enrolled in information technology, and 8% are international students, making the Academy the second-highest institution in Bulgaria in terms of foreign student enrollment, after Sofia Medical University.

The Academy is focusing on developing training in specialized fields such as information technology, cybersecurity, and especially aerospace. The Academy offers four-year training programs in either Bulgarian or English.

Recognizing the outstanding academic performance of Vietnamese students at the Academy during 2010-2014, the Director expressed a strong desire to boost cooperation with Vietnam, aiming to attract more civilian students in the maritime field and to establish partnerships with a Vietnamese maritime university.

As part of her visit, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet also toured the Dolphin Shipyard. During the working session, Plamen Manushev, Advisor to the Shipyard Director, said Dolphin Shipyard was established in 1991 and currently employs more than 550 highly skilled engineers/technicians and 200 contract staff. The shipyard is capable of both building and repairing ships, and holds quality certifications from the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and various international maritime organizations.

Praising Vietnam’s economic development, especially in shipbuilding, Plamen Manushev expressed a desire to cooperate with Vietnamese enterprises, with an initial focus on labor supply. Bulgaria is currently experiencing a severe labor shortage in mechanical engineering and ship repair, particularly skilled labor.

Ambassador Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet affirms that the Embassy will assist Dolphin Shipyard and Bulgarian enterprises in connecting with Vietnamese partners to meet the shared needs of both sides.

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