Hanoi (VNA) – State President Luong Cuong hosted a state-level welcome ceremony for Brazilian President Lula da Silva in Hanoi in the morning of March 28.
President Lula da Silva is paying a state visit to Vietnam from March 27-29 at the invitation of President Cuong, marking his second visit to Vietnam after the first trip in 2008.
The Brazilian leader always has a deep sentiment and admiration for Vietnam. He had once taken to the streets in support of the country’s struggle for national liberation. This visit is also the first state visit to Vietnam by a foreign head of state in 2025, underscoring Vietnam’s respect for President Lula da Silva and its high evaluation of the growing relationship between the two nations.
The Brazilian President’s visit marks a milestone in the bilateral relations, in line with Vietnam’s foreign policy while contributing to concretising the resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress and a plan to develop its ties with Latin American countries in the 2022-2026 period. Besides, it specifically aims to advance Vietnam’s international commitments and concretise new cooperation frameworks while affirming the country’s determination to strengthen partnerships with key Latin American nations, particularly Brazil.
The event also underscores the continuous development of the relations between the two countries as well as their commitments to bringing into full play their Strategic Partnership as well as elevating substantive cooperation in the fields of politics – security, economy – trade – investment, science – technology – innovation, culture – society, and climate change to a new high.
Additionally, the visit provides an unprecedented opportunity for leaders of both countries to specify the essence of the Strategic Partnership, transform the political commitments into substantive and result-oriented collaboration programmes that generate mutual benefits. For Vietnam, this represents a watershed in deepening relations with South America's largest economic powerhouse and regional leader.
Regarding economic – trade cooperation, Brazil is now Vietnam’s largest Latin American trading partner, while the Southeast Asian country holds significant importance in the region for Brazil. Two-way trade has experienced remarkable growth over the recent past, escalating from 1.53 billion USD in 2011 to 7.98 billion USD last year, with ambitious targets to reach 10 billion USD by 2025 and 15 billion USD by 2030.
Both nations boast huge potential for expanded collaboration spanning agriculture, energy, science – technology, security – defence, environmental protection, and climate change response. Vietnam has expressed eagerness to initiate free trade agreement negotiations with MERCOSUR, of which Brazil is a member.
Beyond economic and trade agreements, the visit opens up promising avenues for collaboration in tourism, aviation, maritime ports, and logistics, the sectors with substantial untapped potential for both nations. Promoting cooperation in these domains could serve as a catalyst for stronger development in the bilateral ties.
Building on the foundation of over 35-year strong bilateral relations, President Lula da Silva’s state visit to Vietnam marks a significant step in elevating Vietnam-Brazil ties to new heights. The visit strengthens bilateral political trust and commitment, opening up broader spaces for cooperation and fostering deeper, comprehensive and sustainable relations that will bring tangible benefits to the people of both countries.
Following the welcome ceremony, the two leaders led their respective high-level delegations to the talks, evaluating the results of past cooperation and proposing directions for future collaboration. They are scheduled to witness the signing of key cooperation agreements and meet with the press./.
