Nguyen Van Kien, Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Brazil Friendship and Cooperation Association, former Ambassador of Vietnam to Brazil.

- As the former Ambassador of Vietnam to Brazil, in your opinion, what strengths and areas can help develop bilateral relations?

Over more than 33 years since Vietnam and Brazil signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations (May 8, 1989), especially since May 2007 when the two countries established a comprehensive partnership framework, the relationship between the two countries has continuously developed positively and effectively. One of the brightest marks in that relationship is trade. Trade turnover between the two countries has grown rapidly in recent times.

In 1989, the two countries' trade turnover was only USD 16 million. In 2021 it rose to USD 6.35 billion, an increase of nearly 400 times. Brazil has become Vietnam's largest trading partner in South America, and Vietnam is Brazil's largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Trade Office - Vietnamese Embassy to Brazil and São Paulo Trade Association held Vietnam - Brazil Business Conference 2021.

In addition to trade, the two countries can also strengthen cooperation in various fields such as agriculture, forestry, culture, sports and tourism. Brazil has advanced techniques for growing, harvesting, preserving and processing coffee. Among them, Brazilian breeding and growing techniques that help coffee ripe evenly contribute significantly to increasing the production and quality of coffee.

Brazil also has a world's leading football background with globally famous football players and training institutes with which Vietnam can cooperate to develop training centers, and football academies or look for coaches and players.

Brazilian world famous Carnivals are very suitable for beach festivals in many Vietnamese beach provinces. The two countries have signed a cooperation agreement on tourism and both have world-famous landscapes and destinations that attract tourists every year. More tourists will certainly be attracted if the two countries' tourism industry cooperates to organize tours from Vietnam to Brazil and some other South American countries and from Brazil to Vietnam and some Southeast Asian countries.

- In which areas and regions should Vietnamese businesses and organizations focus on cooperating and investing in Brazil? How can they do that?

Brazil is a big country with 215 million inhabitants, and also the largest market in Latin America. Brazil imports about USD 236 billion of goods each year and has a great demand to import a number of products from Vietnam such as textiles, footwear, electronics, iron and steel.

In contrast, the Vietnamese market also has a need to import many products from Brazil such as corn, soybeans, animal feed, cotton, beef, and chicken. In the long term, Vietnamese goods can enter South American market through Brazil.

Enterprises can exchange delegations to learn models of coffee, sugar cane, corn, soybean, agricultural machinery production. Through activities such as cultural exchanges, sports, and tourism, people's organizations of the two countries can deepen relations and cooperation.

- In your opinion, what are the barriers in the development of trade relations between the two countries?

The first barrier is geographical distance, which is mentioned a lot by businesses. Currently, there is no direct flight between the two countries.

The second is the language barrier. Not many people in Vietnam speak Portuguese (Brazilian official language).

Third, the two countries have not signed any agreement to avoid double taxation, which poses difficulties for businesses.

Fourth, the understanding of businesses about each other and the two countries' markets is still very limited.

- What do you think about the role and contribution of the Association and its plan and policy to better promote the people-to-people friendship between the two countries?

The Board of Directors of the Vietnam - Brazil Business Club was launched in 2017.

The Vietnam-Brazil Friendship and Cooperation Association was established on June 4, 2010. Over the past 12 years, it has carried out many effective activities consolidating and enhancing the friendship, understanding, and cooperation between the two peoples.

The Association organizes annual friendship exchange activities on Brazil's National Day, holding meetings with Vietnamese who have studied and worked in Brazil, exhibiting artworks and products of Brazilian enterprises in Hanoi, and hosting scientific seminars on trade between businesses in both countries.

Every year, except during the Covid-19 time, the Association organizes Vietnamese business delegations to survey the Brazilian market and meet Brazilian partners. Through these activities, the Association has significantly contributed to promoting trade between the two countries and growing the bilateral trade turnover in recent years.

To support businesses, the Association has established the Vietnam - Brazil Business Club to promote advertising, and introduce the export and import potential of the two countries. The association also has a club of Portuguese speakers at Hanoi University and a club of people who have studied and worked in Brazil to connect those who love the country and the people of Brazil and wish to promote friendship and cooperation between the two peoples.

In the coming time, the Association will hold the 3rd National Congress to evaluate the achieved results, and consolidate its leader board and activities toward a more effective and creative future orientation. The Association's leaders have determined that it will promote the admission of members who are famous businessmen, public figures, and intellectuals who are interested and have feelings for the culture, country and people of Brazil.

At the same time, it will develop branches in big cities and provinces with the potential for cooperation with Brazil. It will launch a Portuguese - Vietnamese dictionary, continue trade promotion activities such as organizing Vietnamese business delegations to visit, survey the market, seek partners in Brazil, organize seminars and exchanges between Vietnamese and Brazilian businesses, strengthen cooperation with the Brazil - Vietnam Friendship Association to organize promotion activities about the country and people of Vietnam in Brazil and vice versa. It will also continue to work closely with the Embassy of Brazil in Vietnam to implement activities of mutual interest.

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