Brazilian President visits Vietnam: Affirming a reliable partner, concretizing the vision of strategic cooperation

During his working trip to attend the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva agreed to upgrade Vietnam-Brazil relations to a strategic partnership. (Source: VNA)

Could you please share with us the significance and focus of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's visit to Vietnam?

The visit of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and a high-ranking delegation and many Brazilian businesses to Vietnam this time is a testament to the political will and importance of bilateral relations as well as affirming that Vietnam is a reliable partner of Brazil.

The visit follows Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visits to Brazil in 2023 and his working trip at the end of 2024 to attend the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Farani gives an interview to TG&VN on March 25. (Photo: Jackie Chan)

On these occasions, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent an official invitation from President Luong Cuong to President Lula to visit Vietnam.

Last year, Brazil and Vietnam celebrated the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations and upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership. This was an important step forward in bilateral cooperation, expanding the possibilities for dialogue and cooperation in many key areas and enhancing coordination at multilateral forums.

Could the Ambassador elaborate on the priorities that Brazil wants to promote within the framework of the Strategic Partnership as well as the prospects for cooperation between the two countries in the coming time?

One of the important factors promoting the connection between the two countries is the common values of peace and stability in the region as well as in the world. This is the core condition for economic and trade cooperation and strengthening political relations between Brazil and Vietnam.

The two countries have agreed to build a strategic partnership based on five core pillars of cooperation: Politics - security; economics, trade and investment; science, technology and innovation; climate change response and environmental cooperation; and cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchange.

Within the framework of the new partnership, the two countries maintain consultation and coordination mechanisms through strengthening dialogue institutions, including holding regular bilateral Political Consultations.

Trade cooperation has made significant progress in recent times. Currently, Brazil is Vietnam’s largest trading partner in Latin America, with a total trade turnover of nearly 8 billion USD last year. However, the two governments want to promote measures to increase this figure to about 15 billion USD by 2030.

Both economies are dynamic, with Brazil maintaining sustainable economic growth and Vietnam enjoying strong economic growth. Both countries are committed to pursuing sustainable and innovative growth, and have many complementary strengths, creating great opportunities for expanding economic cooperation in the future.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the Discussion Session on Sustainable Development and Energy Transition at the G20 Summit in Brazil in November 2024. (Source: VNA)

As the BRICS Chair in 2025, Brazil will host the Group’s Summit in July. Last year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh led the Vietnamese delegation to the event in Kazan, Russia. Could you tell us more about this year’s Summit?

This year, Brazil has the honor of assuming the BRICS Presidency and hosting the BRICS Summit on July 6-7 in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian government considers this an important event, not only because of the presence of leaders from BRICS members and guests, but also because it is an opportunity to reaffirm the common principles of the countries of the Global South, in order to promote a fair international order that reflects the true nature of today's multipolar world.

BRICS is not only a driver of economic growth but also a clear expression of the aspirations of the global South. The expansion from 5 to 11 member countries (including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran) is a positive sign for the Group’s future. Currently, BRICS also has 9 more strategic partners: Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

It is important to emphasize that BRICS is important as it represents nearly half of the world's population, contributes 30% of global GDP and produces half of the world's total energy. The principles that BRICS emphasizes include building a more open multilateral trading system and a new vision of global governance.

The BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2025 is expected to discuss six key topics: Cooperation in global health; trade, investment and finance; climate change response; artificial intelligence (AI) governance; reform of the multilateral peace and security system; and institutional development. The event will play an important role in shaping the direction of BRICS as well as promoting global cooperation initiatives.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh led the Vietnamese delegation to the most recent BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia in 2024. This demonstrated a constructive approach and support for multilateralism. Vietnam’s participation at the BRICS Summit was significant, bringing new perspectives to the discussions on how to overcome challenges, build resilience and identify opportunities in the rapidly changing global geopolitical landscape.

How does the Ambassador assess the new development goals and expectations for Vietnam's economic development by 2030?

Vietnam is a shining example of dynamism and commitment to stability, working tirelessly to maintain its economic growth targets. In my view, domestically, Vietnam has accelerated its development projects in key areas such as infrastructure connectivity, innovation and social protection.

In the international arena, Vietnam is enhancing its role and position with important contributions, especially within the ASEAN framework as one of the most dynamic economies.

Brazilian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Farani sees off Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife on their visit to Brazil, November 2024. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Besides, Vietnam is having flexible and appropriate responses to the increasing demands of the global context, and is optimistic in the face of existing challenges.

Currently, Vietnam is considered an important manufacturing center and is constantly promoting human resource training to improve competitiveness and meet new requirements for technological innovation.

In particular, Vietnam has become a prominent factor in the field of semiconductor manufacturing and gradually applied digitalization to life, building strategic partnerships in the high-tech field.

The open-door integration policy has helped Vietnam seize opportunities in trade, integrate into the global market, ensure economic diversification and maintain a stable trade flow.

Regarding foreign affairs, what is your assessment of Vietnam's efforts to affirm its international role and position as well as joining hands to promote peace and stability in the region and globally?

Vietnam has proven to be an active member of the international community. In the region, especially ASEAN, Vietnam has strongly promoted relations with member countries. A typical example is the recent visit of General Secretary To Lam to Indonesia and Singapore, during which Vietnam upgraded relations with both countries to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This reaffirms Vietnam's commitment to regional cooperation, peace and shared prosperity.

Vietnam has also maintained active dialogue with major powers and promoted a sense of responsibility in international forums. Over the past two years, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has visited Brazil twice and attended the G20 Summit. In addition, Vietnam also participated in the BRICS Summit in Kazan, demonstrating its interest and commitment to multilateral cooperation mechanisms.

I see that Vietnam is maintaining a balanced and sustainable cooperation strategy with international partners.

Vietnam has a long history and has always demonstrated a spirit of self-reliance and flexible diplomacy. Vietnam is preparing to enter a “new era, an era of national development”. This period promises to mark a prosperous future, innovation and deep integration, with clear progress in social welfare. This will certainly contribute to promoting the sustainable development of Brazil-Vietnam relations.

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