According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision came after a series of meetings with leaders of the four pillars of the Vietnamese political system: President Luong Cuong, National Assembly Speaker Tran Thanh Man, Communist Party Secretary General Tô Lâm, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chính.

“We have met with the president, the president of the Assembly, and the party secretary general, but the meeting we had now was with the prime minister. And what was the joy? After trying for many years, the prime minister announced that he will finally purchase Brazilian beef for the Vietnamese market,” Lula declared. In a video posted on his social media, he commented that this is “extraordinary news, and I think it’s very important for Vietnam, and it’s very important for Brazil,” and emphasized that his country had been trying to adopt such a measure for 20 years.

“I think what generated this acceptance was the presence of the President of the Senate (Davi Alcolumbre) and the President of the Chamber (of Deputies, Hugo Motta), who demonstrated the strength of the friendship we want to have with Vietnam,” he added.

The two heads of the legislative branch were part of the official Brazilian delegation on the state visit to Vietnam, which also includes ministers, parliamentarians, and business leaders.

Previously, in his official statement to the press following the initial meetings and the signing of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategic Partnership with Vietnam for the period 2025-2030, Lula applauded the potential of selling Brazilian animal protein to Hanoi.

He also called for Vietnam to become a distribution hub for the countries of the so-called ASEAN, a regional bloc of 10 Southeast Asian nations with a population of nearly 700 million.

In the video, Lula also highlighted that the negotiation agenda with Vietnam includes talks to try to introduce EMBRAER regional aircraft to the Asian market.

The E190 series aircraft, with capacity for just over 100 passengers, are considered versatile for quick and short trips, well-suited to the region’s geography.

Seventeen years after Lula’s first visit to Vietnam, there has been a sharp increase in trade between the two countries. It rose from $534 million in 2008 to $7.7 billion in 2024, a record high in the historical record, with a positive Brazilian balance of $405 million. ef/jha/ocs