Brazil, Vietnam officially launch Action Plan for 2025-2030

Brazil and Vietnam elevated their relations to a new level this Friday, March 28, with the signing of an Action Plan for the implementation of a Strategic Partnership. The document was formalized in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, following a meeting between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and President Luong Cuong. "We adopted a wide-range action plan for 2025-2030 which will help us advance in various areas," said Lula in a press statement during his State visit to the Asian country, delivered after the meeting with the Vietnamese leader.

We adopted a wide-range action plan for 2025-2030 which will help us advance in various area"

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Presidente of the Republic

>> Full text of President Lula's press statement

The plan outlines priorities for the bilateral relationship in areas such as defense, economy, trade, and investments; agriculture and food and nutrition security; science, technology, and innovation; environment and sustainability; energy transition; social and cultural cooperation; and consular issues. The Strategic Partnership aims to deepen political dialogue, strengthen economic cooperation, intensify trade flows and investments, strengthen coordination on multilateral agenda issues, and drive new cooperation initiatives. “My administration is interested in recognizing Vietnam as a market economy. These and other measures will allow us to expand trade and investment flows between our countries,” emphasized Lula.

SIGNATURES – In addition to the Action Plan, the meeting was marked by the signing of two agreements and two memorandums. The agreements deal with the exercise of paid activity by dependents of diplomatic missions, consular posts, and permanent missions to international organizations, as well as the exchange and mutual protection of classified information. Brazil and Vietnam also signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services (Ministério do Desenvolvimento, Indústria, Comércio e Serviços /MDIC) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam (MOIT) for commercial and industrial cooperation, along with a memorandum concerning football-related partnerships.

BOVINE MEAT – The expansion of trade between the two nations includes opening up the Asian country to Brazilian beef. “Opening the Vietnamese market to Brazilian beef will attract investment from Brazilian meatpackers to make this country an export platform for Southeast Asia,” he stated.

Brazil's presidency of Mercosur, which will begin in July, will work towards a well-balanced agreement with Vietnam that will benefit both sides."

ADDED VALUE – According to Lula, in addition to exports linked to the food sector, Brazil has the potential to invest in value-added products. “We have already contributed to Vietnam's food security, and we want to expand the export of higher value-added goods, including aircraft. I hope that Vietnam Airlines will positively consider EMBRAER’s [the Brazilian Company of Aeronautics] offer for E-Jet family jets, which are ideal for regional connectivity,” he said.

MERCOSUR AND EXCHANGES – As he did during his trip to Japan, the Brazilian President emphasized the interest in bringing Vietnam closer to the Mercosur trade zone, as well as promoting exchanges. “Brazil's presidency of Mercosur, which will begin in July, will work towards a well-balanced agreement with Vietnam that will benefit both sides. No collaboration is as strategic for the future of two emerging countries as cooperation in education, science, and technology. Soon, our universities will be able to promote the exchange of professors and students. We are exploring partnerships in areas such as semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence, digital technologies, biotechnology, and renewable energies,” he listed.

COP30 AND BRICS – Another highlight was Brazil's invitation for Vietnam to participate in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in July, and COP30 in Belém in November. “To fulfill the Paris Agreement, all countries must adopt the highest possible level of ambition within their development circumstances,” Lula stated.

We are determined to expand our technical exchange to strengthen the resilience of the coffee culture."

COFFEE – An additional path highlighted by the Brazilian leader to strengthen relations between the two nations is through coffee, with both countries working on research to make the crop more resistant to the impacts of climate change. “Vietnam and Brazil are the two largest coffee producers in the world, and both have had recent harvests affected by climate change. We are determined to expand our technical exchange to strengthen the resilience of coffee cultivation. Vietnam can benefit from the Forever Tropical Forest Fund [Fundo Florestas Tropicais para Sempre] proposed by Brazil and be rewarded for its environmental preservation efforts,” said the Brazilian President.

PILLARS – In addition to the meeting with the President of the Asian country, Lula's schedule was marked by meetings with the leaders of the other three pillars of the Vietnamese political system: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chính; the President of the National Assembly, Tran Thanh Man; and the Secretary-General of the Communist Party, Tô Lâm. Next, the Brazilian President attended an official reception hosted by President Luong Cuong.

WELCOME CEREMONY – Before meeting with the Vietnamese president, Lula started his agenda with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs, visited the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh —where he also laid a wreath, attended a Welcome Ceremony at the Presidential Palace, with the performance of the National Anthem, a military parade, honors paid by the Vietnamese government, and the participation of children holding the flags of both countries.

RECORD LEVEL – President Lula's visit also aims to strengthen Brazil's presence in Southeast Asia and its relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the world’s most dynamic region in terms of economic growth. Seventeen years after Lula’s first visit to Vietnam, trade between the two countries has grown significantly, rising from USD 534 million in 2008 to a record USD 7.7 billion in 2024, with Brazil maintaining a positive balance of USD 405 million. The shared goal is to reach USD 15 billion by 2030.

35 YEARS – In 2024, Brazil and Vietnam celebrated 35 years of diplomatic relations. The relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership on November 17, 2024, during a meeting between President Lula and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chính on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, when the Brazilian President was invited to visit the Asian country. In the past two years, Lula has met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chính three times: in May 2023 in Hiroshima, during the G7 Summit; in September 2023 in Brasília, during an official visit; and in November 2024, in Rio de Janeiro, at the G20 Summit.

TRADE FLOW – Vietnam is now Brazil’s top source of imports from ASEAN and its 14th-largest global supplier. Brazil exports more to Vietnam than to Portugal, the United Kingdom, France, or Paraguay. The country is also the fifth-largest destination for Brazilian agribusiness exports. Brazil supplies about 70% of Vietnam’s imported soybeans and is its leading pork supplier (around 37%), as well as the second-largest supplier of poultry and cotton.