Representatives of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development – Bulgaria (CEED Bulgaria) and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) conducted a working visit to Vietnam as part of the “Functionally Sustainable Migration and Integration in Bulgaria” (FSMI in Bulgaria) project. The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Interior and co-financed by the European Union.
The visit, which took place last week, was part of the project’s international information campaign and focused on developing contacts with local partners and presenting opportunities for professional development in Bulgaria. A key focus was BGJobs, an online platform designed to facilitate connections between employers in Bulgaria and job candidates from third countries.
The working programme included a meeting with representatives of the Hanoi University of Industry, where the participants discussed opportunities for joint initiatives in education, skills development and international labour mobility.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Don, Vice President of the university, presented its development and academic profile and expressed the university’s readiness to further expand its international partnerships and exchange expertise with Bulgarian institutions and organisations.
Hanoi University of Industry offers a wide range of academic programmes. The university currently provides 12 doctoral, 14 master’s and 73 bachelor’s programmes in fields including engineering, electronics, information technology, economics, tourism, fashion and others. Approximately 35,000 students are enrolled at the university, supported by an academic staff of around 1,500 faculty members.
The structure of the university was also presented, including five specialised colleges focusing on automotive engineering, information and communication technologies, economics, languages, tourism and electronics. According to the information shared during the meeting, approximately 95% of graduates successfully enter the labour market.
Stanislav Chervenkov, Executive Director of CEED Bulgaria, presented the organisation’s activities and initiatives supporting international labour mobility. He also shared CEED Bulgaria’s experience in working with partners from Albania, Armenia, Vietnam, Ukraine and Moldova.
A key part of the meeting was the presentation of BGJobs and the opportunities the platform provides to both employers and job seekers. The participants also discussed an upcoming online information session for Vietnamese partners, which will provide further information on employment and professional development opportunities in Bulgaria.
The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss the development of Bulgarian-Vietnamese economic relations. Tsvetan Aleksov, Trade Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Hanoi, shared observations on the growing interest among Bulgarian employers in recruiting Vietnamese workers and highlighted the role of such initiatives in strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
The meeting was also attended by Gabriela Dimitrova, Director of the International Cooperation and International Organisations Directorate at BCCI, who presented the Chamber’s activities and its cooperation with higher education institutions in Bulgaria. She also outlined key aspects of Bulgaria’s economic environment, including the country’s membership in the European Union and NATO, its accession to the Schengen Area and the introduction of the euro.
Academic cooperation between Bulgaria and Vietnam was another topic discussed during the meeting. The participants explored opportunities for student and faculty exchange, as well as joint initiatives under European programmes, including Erasmus+.
Practical aspects of labour mobility were also high on the agenda. The participants discussed professional fields where Bulgarian businesses have a growing demand for workers, as well as procedures for employing third-country nationals, social and health insurance, working conditions and other aspects related to employment in Bulgaria.
The working visit to Vietnam was part of the ongoing international activities under the “FSMI in Bulgaria” project, through which CEED Bulgaria is working to establish sustainable partnerships and strengthen connections between the needs of Bulgarian businesses and potential candidates from third countries.
The meetings provided a solid basis for continued engagement with Vietnamese institutions and organisations and for further cooperation in the fields of business, education and labour mobility.
