"Brazil-Vietnam: a solid relationship" - Fernando Apparicio da Silva, Ambassador of Brazil to Vietnam (The World & Vietnam Report, Vietnam, 2/5/2021)

Alluding to the unprecedented challenges facing the world in 2020 has become commonplace in diplomatic discourse, but, when it comes to acknowledging successful experiences, it is never too much to reiterate Vietnam`s example. Vietnam has not only tackled the COVID-19 pandemic in a remarkably efficient manner, but also managed to sustain economic growth and raise its international profile. While many countries are struggling against recession, Vietnam has witnessed an estimated GDP growth of 2.8%. At the same time, the country has shown proactiveness in regional and global fora, both as the pro tempore president of ASEAN and as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Despite the difficulties, 2020 was a good year for the bilateral relationship between Brazil and Vietnam. We were able to hold, via videoconference, the seventh edition of our consultations on matters of common interest, which helped us to identify ways to deepen our collaboration. We are also proud of our longstanding friendship with the Hanoi University, which has been instrumental to the promotion of the Portuguese language and the Brazilian culture in Vietnam. On the occasion of last year`s Teacher`s Day, the Embassy of Brazil in Hanoi offered a ceramic mosaic mural to the University as a token of appreciation for our relationship.

In the commercial realm, bilateral trade has soared to around USD 5 billion in the past year and is poised to continue growing as Brazil and Vietnam negotiate reciprocal opening of markets in agricultural products. In the beginning of the sanitary crisis, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil made a public commitment not to limit or delay exports of agricultural goods and supplies and to uphold all exports contracts. This has been achieved with great success. But Brazil is also determined to open up business and investment opportunities. Last October, the Brazilian Embassy held a Business Match event to connect Brazilian and Vietnamese companies in the Food and Beverage Sector. Finally, Brazil hopes to further expand and consolidate the economic synergies with Vietnam in the framework of Mercosur. In this context, an exploratory dialogue with a view of eventually starting negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between Mercosur and Vietnam was successfully concluded in 2020.

In 2021, the possibilities of collaboration are vast. Over the last years, we have signed a number of bilateral instruments, in areas such as health, scientific and technological research and culture, that provide a sound basis for joint initiatives. We are also looking forward to the signing of new agreements in the areas of technical cooperation for development and education. Trade and investments opportunities are also ripe, and we expect to have continued growth in various sectors such as cotton and textiles, animal feed, food and beverages, animal protein, fisheries, machines and health.

The Vietnamese have Brazil in high esteem and Brazilians have great admiration for Vietnam. Since my first days in this special country, these shared sentiments between our civil societies have made the task of being ambassador much easier for me. The Brazilians and the Vietnamese may be distant in geography, but they are close in their hearts.