Rio De Janeiro, July 05, 2025 – The Europe Today: Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính held pivotal talks with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro as part of his working visit to attend the expanded BRICS Summit and conduct bilateral engagements.
Expressing delight at his fifth meeting with President Lula da Silva, PM Chính hailed him as a close and cherished friend of Vietnam. He extended heartfelt thanks for the warm and sincere welcome extended to his delegation, underscoring the deep friendship shared between the two nations, despite their geographical distance.
PM Chính conveyed greetings from Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Tô Lâm, State President Lương Cường, and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn. He praised President Lula da Silva’s March 2025 state visit to Vietnam as a cherished moment that left a profound impression on Vietnamese leadership and citizens.
Acknowledging Brazil’s growing global role, PM Chính expressed confidence in its continued leadership as Chair of the G20 in 2024, and upcoming Chair of BRICS, COP30, and Mercosur in 2025. President Lula da Silva, welcoming Vietnam’s participation in the BRICS Summit for the first time as a partner country, reiterated Brazil’s commitment to amplifying the voice of the Global South in international governance and advancing inclusive and sustainable development.
PM Chính thanked Brazil for its support in Việt Nam becoming a BRICS partner and affirmed his nation’s commitment to the summit’s goals of peace, cooperation, and inclusive growth. He emphasized Việt Nam’s intention to contribute actively to the success of BRICS during Brazil’s presidency.
On the bilateral front, both leaders acknowledged significant progress in the Vietnam–Brazil relationship. They affirmed active implementation of the joint statement from President Lula da Silva’s state visit and the Strategic Partnership Action Plan (2025–2030).
They pledged to deepen cooperation in various sectors, including defense, security, technology transfer, science, human resource development, mining, bioenergy, digital transformation, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and judicial affairs. The two sides agreed to accelerate negotiations on key agreements related to investment protection, avoidance of double taxation, and visa facilitation.
Significant progress was noted in agricultural trade. Brazil exported its first batch of beef to Vietnam, while Vietnam sent its first shipment of tra-basa (pangasius) and tilapia to Brazil. Both leaders welcomed this breakthrough and agreed to further expand agricultural cooperation, with Brazil expressing readiness to import more Vietnamese seafood and rice. The two sides also committed to signing a long-term agreement ensuring stable food security in Brazil through Vietnamese rice exports.
Further, the leaders discussed the establishment of a joint coffee industry initiative, including a production and export alliance, coffee trading floor, and shared branding to promote coffee culture in both countries.
PM Chính urged President Lula da Silva to support the expedited conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between Vietnam and MERCOSUR as well as a bilateral FTA. President Lula agreed and called for immediate action by the Ministers of Industry and Trade.
They agreed to implement the outcomes of the talks swiftly to provide tangible benefits to businesses and boost trade, particularly amid global trade uncertainties. Cultural and people-to-people exchanges, especially among the youth, were also highlighted to further deepen mutual understanding and friendship.
On international issues, both leaders emphasized cooperation on global governance, UN reform, poverty reduction, and climate change mitigation. They reaffirmed support for each other at multilateral forums including the UN, WTO, Non-Aligned Movement, South-South Cooperation, and IPU.
Both leaders underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in maritime regions, including the East Sea (South China Sea), based on international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS.
PM Chính also extended an invitation from State President Lương Cường for President Lula da Silva to attend the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime in Hanoi this October.
Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. They also attended ceremonies marking the first exports of Vietnamese pangasius and tilapia to Brazil and Brazilian beef to Vietnam.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the practical and result-oriented nature of their frequent meetings, with this latest encounter once again yielding concrete advancements across multiple areas of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
