Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazi Bui Van Nghi meets Governor of the northern state of Amazonas Wilson Miranda Lima. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam has always considered Brazil as a major and important partner in South America, with bilateral trade reaching 7.11 billion USD in 2023, Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi affirmed.

During a meeting with Wilson Miranda Lima, Governor of the northern state of Amazonas, Ambassador Nghi emphasised that Vietnam is one of Brazil's significant trade partners and the two countries have ample room to enhance exchanges in various fields, including politics, diplomacy, trade and investment, science and technology, innovation, agriculture and agricultural processing, climate change mitigation, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Vietnamese ambassador expressed his hope that the two countries will continue to support each other's socio-economic development and closely coordinate at international organisations and multilateral forums.

For his part, Governor Lima highlighted that the state of Amazonas and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) share many climatic similarities, and he affirmed that Amazonas will facilitate businesses interested in cooperation in this region.

In a working session with the Vietnamese ambassador, General Director of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) Everton Rabelo Cordeiro praised the high quality of rubber trees grown in Vietnam and suggested that Vietnam needs to preserve this valuable genetic resource. He also introduced the economic value of the Amazonian peach palm, which has high productivity and can thrive in barren lands.

Ambassador Nghi agreed that this plant is well suited to the climate, soil, and needs of Vietnam, and he looked forward to cooperating with Brazil in cultivating this crop.

During discussions with the Fiocruz Research Agency, a prominent centre for biological science research and development in Brazil, Ambassador Nghị proposed exchanges between Fiocruz and the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology, the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center, and the Institute of Tropical Biology in the research of vaccines for malaria, dengue fever, and other tropical diseases.

The ambassador’s visit to Amazonas was part of the diplomatic activities of the ASEAN Committee in Brazil. Amazonas is Brazil's largest state, located in the north of the country and covered by the Amazon rainforest, with an extremely diverse ecosystem.