Vietnam exports first pangasius, tilapia shipment to Brazil
Vietnam and Brazil have exchanged their first agricultural shipments under new market access deals, with Vietnam sending pangasius, tilapia and Brazil exporting beef.
On July 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attended a ceremony in Brazil to mark the inaugural shipments. The event took place during Chinh’s visit to Brazil to attend the BRICS+ Summit and hold bilateral talks.
During their meeting, both leaders described the bilateral relationship as strong and agreed to continue implementing the Joint Declaration and the Vietnam-Brazil Strategic Partnership Action Plan for 2025-2030. They pledged to increase high-level exchanges, strengthen political trust, and ensure effective implementation of signed agreements.
The two sides also agreed to deepen cooperation in defense and security, defense trade, technology transfer, science and technology, human resources development, mineral extraction, biomass energy, digital transformation, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.
Economically, Vietnam and Brazil committed to advancing negotiations on agreements covering investment protection, avoidance of double taxation, and visa facilitation. Both leaders welcomed the opening of agricultural and seafood markets, highlighted by the inaugural exchange of beef and pangasius and tilapia shipments. Brazil expressed its readiness to import more Vietnamese seafood and rice and agreed to work toward a bilateral agreement ensuring stable, long-term food security.
The two countries also plan to strengthen cooperation in coffee production and branding, including developing joint brands, creating trading platforms, and promoting coffee culture. They aim to boost investment in agricultural production and processing for domestic markets and exports to third countries.
Prime Minister Chinh called on Brazil to support concluding negotiations on the Vietnam-MERCOSUR Free Trade Agreement by the second half of 2025. President Lula agreed and said their trade ministers would work closely on the matter.
Both sides pledged to instruct ministries and agencies to immediately implement the outcomes of the talks and expand market access for goods, agricultural products, and seafood, especially amid global trade uncertainties. They also encouraged people-to-people exchanges, youth cooperation, sports and academic collaboration, and support for the Vietnamese and Brazilian communities in their host countries.
On regional and international issues, both leaders agreed to strengthen coordination on global governance, UN reforms, poverty reduction, and climate change. They committed to supporting each other at international forums and reaffirmed the importance of peace, stability, security, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, in line with international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Chinh invited President Lula to visit Vietnam to attend the opening ceremony of the UN Convention on Countering the Use of ICTs for Criminal Purposes, scheduled to take place in Hanoi this October.
VFM
