Vietnam, Bulgaria see strong potential for maritime cooperation
Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet suggested establishing a defence policy dialogue mechanism and promoting academic and experience exchanges between military training institutions of the two countries.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet and Director of the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy Rear Admiral Kalin Kalinov. (Photo: VNA)
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.
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. (Photo: VNA)
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./.
Vietnam is a key partner for Bulgaria in Southeast Asia, with potential for future joint work in IT, innovation, green transition, digital transformation, high-tech agriculture, and pharmaceuticals.
The 75-year diplomatic milestone is described as a testament to the steadfast and enduring friendship nurtured by generations of leaders and citizens from Vietnam and Bulgaria.
Bulgaria holds strengths in sectors that align well with Vietnam’s development focus, including information technology, software, electronics, energy and the environment, startups and innovation, agriculture and food processing, logistics, and freight services.
All businesses are eligible to participate in the programme without undergoing any selection or review process. Enterprises can independently launch promotional campaigns with diverse and appealing content for customers and are allowed to apply maximum discounts of up to 100%.
Singapore’s United Overseas Bank (UOB) has boosted its 2025 GDP growth forecast for Vietnam to 7.5% from 6.9%, pointing to the economy’s resilience and dynamism despite tariff risks and uncertainties.
Spanning 8.4ha of gross floor area and rising to 30m, the package requires advanced steel–concrete solutions, synchronised execution and accelerated progress within 330 days.
Through this partnership, VinFast Philippines, a subsidiary of Vingroup JSC, one of Vietnam's largest conglomerates, will leverage on BDO's comprehensive suite of financial solutions including cash management, consumer banking, leasing, and insurance services and create tailored financing programmes for both retail and corporate customers.
Under the new system, passengers without checked luggage simply check in via VNeID or a kiosk, undergo facial recognition at security, and board by scanning their face. Those with baggage drop it at a counter before entering the same automated flow.
Vietnam values its international partnerships, including with the UK, Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang noted, urging UK companies, funds and financial institutions, and those from Europe and worldwide, to continue expanding investment, transferring know-how, sharing management experience and advancing green finance and technology to realise Vietnam’s sustainable development vision.
Vietnamese Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang expressed gratitude for the UK’s active role in supporting Vietnam’s efforts to draft a National Assembly resolution on creating an international financial centre. The City of London, he noted, provided pivotal insights and recommendations to shape the groundwork and development roadmap for this hub.
Vietnam is ready to deepen economic cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China and other partners, embracing a strategy of “harmonised interests and shared risks” as it leverages its fast-growing economy and market of over 100 million people.
Tay Ninh, Nghe An and Quang Tri provinces have strategic locations and significant cooperation potential, said Nguyen Thi Thai Binh, Minister-Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy, expressing confidence that with creativity and determination, these provinces and their Korean partners will find ample opportunities for productive collaboration.
Jointly organised by the Vinexad National Trade Fair and Advertising JSC and Yorkers Exhibition Service Vietnam, the event features 1,200 booths of more than 650 exhibitors from 20 countries and territories, including Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, and the US.
Public investment should serve as a key driver of growth, acting as seed capital to catalyse and mobilise all social resources, thereby fostering economic expansion, creating jobs and livelihoods, and improving the material and spiritual well-being of the people, PM Pham Minh Chinh stated.
An official of the Foreign Trade Agency laid stress on the foundational role of rules of origin in international trade, highlighting the importance of capacity building for enforcement officers in the context of deep international integration.
Against the backdrop of the growing comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, the promotion and export of Vietnam’s agricultural products not only diversify supply sources for the Russian market but also help enhance the brand values and competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises in the market that remains untapped.
International trade is no longer merely an exchange of goods but a strategic lever enabling Vietnamese enterprises to enhance capacity, secure partnerships, and expand globally.
In the first eight months of 2025, Vietnam’s total trade value reached nearly 600 billion USD, up 16.3% year on year. Of this, exports stood at 306 billion USD, a 14.8% increase, already surpassing the full-year target.
Vietnam aims to maintain macroeconomic stability, control inflation below the target, achieve growth of 8.3-8.5%, ensure major economic balances, surpass budget revenue estimates by 25%, and control public debt, government debt, foreign debt, and budget deficit.
Reaffirming Vietnam’s commitment to foreign investors, Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang said government policies always aim to ensure transparency, fairness and a mutually beneficial environment that promotes innovation and safeguards investor rights, making Vietnam a sustainable and long-term investment destination.
The State Bank of Vietnam must launch an official gold price information portal, study the establishment of gold exchanges, and issue guiding documents to implement the Government’s decree on the management of gold trading activities.
According to the World Bank Group, Vietnam will need approximately 368 billion USD in investment for climate adaptation and carbon reduction projects by 2040. Yet, as of the end of 2024, green credit accounted for just 4.5% of the country’s total outstanding loans.
