Vietnamese PM starts official visit to Brazil

Sao Paulo (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived at Sao Paulo International Airport around the noon of September 23 (local time), starting an official visit to Brazil from September 23 to 26 at the invitation of the country’s President Lula da Silva.

During the trip, PM Chinh and President Lula da Silva are scheduled to have talks, hold a joint press conference, and witness the signing and handover of cooperation documents between the two countries. The Vietnamese leader will also have meetings with leaders of the National Congress of Brazil, the parliamentary friendship group of the South American country, some local political parties and friendship organisations, and the state of Sao Paulo.

He will also visit the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil, meet with the Vietnamese community here, open a photo exhibition on late President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam, attend a business forum between the two countries, and receive executives of some leading Brazilian enterprises.

The visit is expected to set up new orientations for promoting the Vietnam - Brazil comprehensive partnership and identify concrete cooperation projects and areas, thereby developing bilateral relations, especially in economy, trade and investment, in a substantive and effective manner.

Later the same day, PM Chinh visited the Embraer aerospace company in Sao Jose dos Campos city of Sao Paulo.

Embraer President and CEO Francisco Gomes Neto gave the Vietnamese leader an introduction of his firm, which is the world’s third largest producer of commercial aircraft, after Boeing and Airbus, and strong at manufacturing under-130-seat planes. In Vietnam, it has handed over five E190 aircraft to Bamboo Airways.

He highly valued the potential of the Vietnamese market, which is suitable for existing aircraft models of Embraer.

Neto expressed his hope for the Vietnamese Government’s continued support for Embraer to seek cooperation opportunities and expand its market in the country, adding that the group is ready to implement aircraft maintenance and repair services in and provide aerospace technological solutions for Vietnam.

Highlighting the fast development and potential of Vietnam’s aviation sector, PM Chinh held that the new-generation aircraft models of Embraer could be a solution helping Vietnamese airlines concurrently expand their fleets and ensure flight efficiency and safety.

He said he believes in a bright future of aviation cooperation between the two countries, asking Embraer to expand collaboration and investment to develop its business ecosystem in Vietnam.

The Government leader suggested the group discuss cooperation and business chances with Vietnamese airlines, consider providing aircraft maintenance and repair services, participate in the training of aviation manpower in Vietnam, provide technological solutions for the Southeast Asian country to improve the aviation governance capacity, increase automation, and help with the forecasting and prevention of aviation-related risks.