Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi promotes trade and economic connectivity in Sao Paulo

Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi speaks at the Workshop on Trade Opportunities between Vietnam and Brazil organized by the Vietnam Trade Office in Sao Paulo.

Immediately after the working trip to attend the State visit of Brazilian President Lula da Silva to Vietnam in March 2025, Ambassador Bui Van Nghi continued to monitor, promote and implement the commitments between the two countries in the city of São Paulo through working sessions with the government, the State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FIESP) and Friboi Company of JBS Group, especially in the context of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Brazil is on the rise.

The Ambassador emphasized that during President Lula da Silva's state visit to Vietnam from March 27-29, 2025 at the invitation ofPresident Luong Cuong, the two sides issued a statement on the Action Program of the strategic partnership for the period 2025-2030, with many important areas.

On this occasion, Brazil recognized Vietnam's market economy status; the two sides agreed to soon start negotiations on an Agreement to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Brazil, as well as between Vietnam and the MERCOSUR bloc. Vietnam and Brazil are facing unprecedented cooperation opportunities.

The Ambassador believes that with the determination and efforts of the two Governments and the initiative of the business community, Vietnam and Brazil will achieve new steps forward in bilateral economic, trade and investment relations.

Ambassador Bui Van Nghi (center) in a meeting with Director of International Relations Samo Tosatti (fourth from left).

* During a meeting with representatives of the São Paulo state government , Director of International Relations Samo Tosatti, Ambassador Bui Van Nghi emphasized that the Vietnam-Brazil relationship has developed strongly over the past 35 years and the two countries are now strategic partners. However, in the economic and trade fields, there is still much untapped potential.

He said that the lack of understanding between the business communities of the two countries is a major barrier, and it is necessary to promote efforts so that Vietnamese and Brazilian businesses can understand each other better, thereby promoting cooperation and investment.

The Ambassador strongly supports the development of cooperation in areas such as maritime transport, aviation, logistics, trade, science and technology and innovation, education and training, especially opening direct flights between the two countries to promote tourism and trade exchange.

He suggested that the São Paulo government and businesses support the federal government in soon negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and MERCOSUR, opening up great opportunities for Vietnamese businesses and helping Brazil access the ASEAN market, while Brazil is also an important destination for Vietnamese products in South America.

The Ambassador also affirmed that the Vietnamese Government will continue to support cooperation initiatives and encourage Vietnamese enterprises to participate in investment projects in São Paulo and other regions of Brazil.

For his part, Director of International Relations of São Paulo State Samo Tosatti sent greetings and congratulations from the Governor of the state to Ambassador Bui Van Nghi, and affirmed the state's strong commitment to promoting international cooperation, especially with Vietnam.

Assessing Vietnam as an important partner in expanding economic and trade relations, he shared about the positive change in Vietnam's image, from a country associated with war to a stably developing economy, with great potential in promoting trade and investment.

Mr. Samo Tosatti also informed about the strength of the economy of São Paulo state, whose GDP is larger than the combined GDP of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, and said that this is a great opportunity for São Paulo to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam.

Mr. Tosatti supported the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and Brazil, emphasizing that São Paulo's strong private industry can play an important role in promoting cooperation.

Finally, he pledged to support the acceleration of the FTA signing process between the two countries and persuade the Brazilian Government to promote trade and investment relations between Vietnam and Brazil.

Ambassador Bui Van Nghi met with FIESP President Josué Christiano Gomes da Silva (4th from right).

* During the meeting with FIESP President Josué Christiano Gomes da Silva, the President of the federation strongly committed to promoting trade and investment between Brazil and Vietnam. He emphasized the importance of organizing trade delegations, exhibitions, seminars and business networking events to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two sides.

The FIESP President affirmed that Vietnam is a dynamic partner, and organizing these exchange activities will help businesses of the two countries better understand the potential for cooperation, while opening up many economic and trade opportunities between the two countries.

Following the words of the President of FIESP, Ambassador Bui Van Nghi shared about the recent visit of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Vietnam. He also mentioned the 2025-2030 Action Plan signed between the two countries, aiming to promote trade and investment, especially in areas such as agricultural products, semiconductor technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and aviation.

The Ambassador emphasized that, in addition to traditional markets such as North America or Europe, Vietnam wishes to diversify its product supply and consumption markets, focusing on promoting trade cooperation and exports to potential markets such as the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Halal product markets, and especially focusing on the Brazilian market and MERCOSUR member countries.

The Ambassador also shared about Vietnam's open-door policy and international integration, especially through more than 60 countries and territories under 17 FTAs ​​that Vietnam has signed, to promote economic growth and expand trade opportunities for Vietnamese and Brazilian businesses.

Also at the working session with FIESP, Ms. Pham Hong Trang, Representative of the Vietnam Trade Office in Sao Paulo, introduced the major exhibition event "Vietnam International Sourcing 2025" - the leading exhibition in Vietnam, scheduled to be held in early September this year, with the participation of many Vietnamese and international enterprises.

Ms. Trang proposed displaying Brazilian agricultural raw materials at the event, in order to create opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to find partners and expand their business networks.

Ambassador Bui Van Nghi met with representatives of Friboi company.

* During the working session with representatives of Friboi Company under JBS Group , CEO Renato Costa and Export Director Pedro de Castro, Ambassador Bui Van Nghi emphasized that trade relations between Vietnam and Brazil have made great strides in recent years, especially with the upgrading of the relationship between the two countries to a strategic partnership.

Noting that trade and economy between the two countries have improved significantly, with Brazil now being Vietnam's largest trading partner in Latin America, the Ambassador affirmed that Vietnam will continue to create great cooperation opportunities not only in the domestic market but also expanding to other regions in Southeast Asia, thanks to 17 free trade agreements (FTAs) with 60 countries that Vietnam participates in.

Friboi Costa CEO shared that the cooperative relationship between the company and Vietnam has developed very well since the meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in November 2024 and the State visit of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Vietnam.

Mr. Costa also expressed his impression of the strong development of the Vietnamese economy and said that Vietnam has great potential to become a distribution center for the ASEAN region. He emphasized that it is necessary to promote stronger cooperation, especially through the support of the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil, so that businesses of the two countries can accelerate the cooperation process and expand the market.

Ambassador Bui Van Nghi's working trip to Sao Paulo has opened up many new cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and Brazil, especially in the fields of agricultural products, food processing, and investment.

Working sessions with large agencies and enterprises such as FIESP and Friboi not only strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries but also create a solid foundation for exploiting untapped economic potentials.

During this working trip, Ambassador Bui Van Nghi attended the opening ceremony of the 6th ANUGA Brazil Food and Beverage Exhibition (Anuga Select Brazil), the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Vietnam booth and the Workshop on Trade Opportunities between Vietnam and Brazil organized by the Vietnam Trade Office in Sao Paulo.

Notably, the Workshop on Trade Opportunities between Vietnam and Brazil was held with the participation of many local businesses interested in trade cooperation with Vietnam.

Ambassador Bui Van Nghi affirmed that this is an event to provide businesses with more useful information on many aspects to have a deeper understanding of the Vietnamese and Brazilian markets, such as the strong and positive developments in the bilateral relationship in recent times; at the same time, help explore potential cooperation opportunities between the two countries.

Some other photos at events during Ambassador Bui Van Nghi's working trip.

Ribbon cutting ceremony to open Vietnam's booth at the ANUGA Brazil Food Exhibition.

Ambassador Bui Van Nghi tries Vietnamese pho at the ANUGA Brazil Food Exhibition.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vietnamese-agency-in-brazil-bui-van-nghi-thuc-day-giao-thuong-ket-noi-kinh-te-tai-sao-paulo-310846.html