South Korea gifts Vietnam university $8-million ship

The South Korean Embassy in Vietnam handed the ship, named Hannara, to the Vietnamese university Thursday.

Hannara, valued at around $8 million, is docked at MIPEC Port in the northern port city Hai Phong.

The vessel of 102.7 meters long, 14.5 meters wide, and 9.5 meters high has a loading capacity of 4,567 tons.

Built in 1993, it has two training rooms, two halls, along with classrooms, a library, and a gym area to train 152 students at one time.

The ship was gifted to Vietnam as non-refundable aid from the South Korean government, following a memorandum of understanding on maritime cooperation and crew training signed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport and South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in November last year.

Pham Xuan Duong, principal of Vietnam Maritime University based in Hai Phong, said Hannara is the first ship with international standard quality and technology the school has received from abroad.

The vessel, its name changed to VMU Vietnam-South Korea, will boost educating and training quality, allowing the school’s officer internship program to fully meet International Maritime Organization standards.

Vietnam Maritime University now has around 3,500 students, including those from Cambodia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, South Africa and South Korea.