Mexico City (VNA) – A delegation from the Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico led by Ambassador Nguyen Van Hai paid a working visit to Chiapas state from April 5–8 to explore opportunities for cooperation in trade, tourism and agriculture as part of efforts to strengthen ties between Vietnam and Mexican localities.

According to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Mexico, during the visit, the delegation coordinated with the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) and the state authorities to organise the event “Vietnam Economic and Cultural Days in Chiapas.” The programme featured a series of activities including a business seminar, an exhibition showcasing Vietnam’s country, people and development achievements, and exchanges with UNACH students.

The business seminar drew the participation of Chiapas’ Secretary of Economy and Labour, the Deputy Secretary of Border Development, the Deputy Secretary of Tourism, the Director of Cultural Heritage, the President of the Chiapas Employers’ Confederation (Coparmex), representatives of the National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (CANACINTRA), and about 40 local enterprises operating in agriculture, food processing, fisheries, tourism and traditional handicrafts.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Hai outlined Vietnam’s socio-economic development and international integration in recent years, noting that the country is emerging as one of the most dynamic economies in the Asia-Pacific region, supported by an extensive network of free trade agreements and an increasingly favourable investment environment.

He noted that Vietnam–Mexico relations have been continously strengthened and developed over more than half a century, particularly in trade, with Mexico currently serving as Vietnam’s second-largest trading partner in Latin America. The ambassador also highlighted similarities between Vietnam and Chiapas in natural conditions, economic structure and community culture, describing them as a solid foundation for mutually beneficial trade cooperation.

According to the ambassador, the seminar’s theme, “Weaving Vietnam–Chiapas Relations,” reflects the desire to strengthen connections between the business communities of the two sides, particularly in areas with strong potential such as green and sustainable agriculture, aquaculture and seafood processing, community-based tourism and new-style rural development. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico will continue serving as a bridge to support businesses from both countries in exploring markets and making effective use of bilateral and regional cooperation mechanisms.

During the discussion session, enterprises from Chiapas expressed interest in cooperating with Vietnamese partners in seafood processing and trading, particularly tilapia, of which the state is the largest producer in Mexico, along with shrimp and other aquatic products. Local businesses also showed interest in cooperation in developing agricultural products of strength such as organic coffee, cocoa, honey, dried fruits and traditional handicrafts, which are seen as having strong potential for expanding bilateral trade.

At the seminar, Nguyen Thi Trang, head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Mexico, provided an overview of Vietnam–Mexico economic and trade relations and proposed several areas for cooperation between Vietnamese enterprises and Chiapas, especially in agriculture, food processing, fisheries, textiles and eco-tourism. She also invited Chiapas businesses to participate in Vietnam International Sourcing, scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City this September, describing it as an important opportunity to expand business connections and seek new partners.

For his part, Chiapas Secretary of Economy Luis Pedrero affirmed that the state government is ready to coordinate with the Vietnamese side in identifying potential projects and selecting feasible proposals to promote concrete cooperation between localities of the two countries, thereby expanding trade and investment ties in the coming time.

During the programme, Ambassador Nguyen Van Hai also inaugurated an exhibition on Vietnam’s country and people at the library of UNACH and held discussions with students on Vietnam’s development model, foreign policy and priorities in the new development phase. He also highlighted opportunities to enhance cooperation in education, student exchanges and scientific research between UNACH and Vietnamese universities, as well as to better utilise incentives from the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)./.