On July 5 (local time), during his visit to Brazil for the BRICS+ Summit and bilateral meetings, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his pleasure at meeting President Lula da Silva for the fifth time, calling him a cherished friend of Vietnam and its people. He thanked the Brazilian government for the warm and heartfelt reception, reflecting the close bond between the two nations - though half a world apart, united by shared aspirations for independence, development, and progress.

Prime Minister Chinh conveyed the sincere regards of General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to President Lula da Silva, and emphasized the lasting impressions of Lula’s visit to Vietnam four months ago.

He applauded Brazil’s growing role in shaping global agendas and expressed confidence in the country’s continued leadership across multilateral platforms - especially as Chair of the G20 in 2024, and BRICS, COP30, and MERCOSUR in 2025.

President Lula welcomed Prime Minister Chinh and the Vietnamese high-level delegation to the BRICS Summit as a partner country. He underscored Brazil’s intent to amplify the voice of the Global South in global governance frameworks, with a focus on sustainable, inclusive development in economic, social, and environmental spheres. He also praised Vietnam’s responsible contributions to global affairs.

Prime Minister Chinh thanked Brazil for supporting Vietnam’s BRICS partnership and affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to participating with the highest sense of responsibility. He reiterated Vietnam’s strong commitment to contributing to peace, cooperation, and development, especially in promoting the role of the Global South in global governance.

On bilateral relations, Prime Minister Chinh emphasized the positive momentum in Vietnam-Brazil ties. He noted that both sides have actively implemented the Joint Statement from President Lula’s state visit to Vietnam (March 2025) and the Action Plan for the Vietnam-Brazil Strategic Partnership for 2025-2030.

The two leaders agreed to intensify high-level exchanges, enhance political trust, and effectively implement existing agreements under the Strategic Partnership framework.

They also agreed to deepen defense and security cooperation - including defense trade and technology transfer - while boosting cooperation in science and technology, high-quality workforce development, mineral trade, ethanol and biomass energy, digital transformation, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and judicial affairs.

Both sides committed to accelerating negotiations for agreements on investment protection, double taxation avoidance, and streamlined visa procedures.

The leaders welcomed significant progress in market access for agricultural products. Brazil has shipped its first batch of beef to Vietnam, while Vietnam has exported its first batch of pangasius, basa, and tilapia to Brazil - enhancing trade efficiency and bringing tangible benefits to citizens and businesses in both countries.

Brazil affirmed its readiness to increase imports of Vietnamese seafood and rice. At Prime Minister Chinh’s request, both sides agreed to sign a long-term food security agreement, under which Vietnam will supply rice to Brazil.

The leaders also committed to advancing cooperation in the coffee sector, including the formation of a joint coffee production and export alliance, the establishment of a shared coffee exchange, co-branding efforts, and promoting a joint coffee culture rooted in both nations.

They also explored local agricultural investment and processing collaborations to serve domestic and international markets - leveraging each country's strengths to optimize costs and mutual benefits.

To further boost trade, Prime Minister Chinh proposed that Brazil support the conclusion of the Vietnam-MERCOSUR FTA and a bilateral FTA within the second half of 2025, during Brazil’s MERCOSUR chairmanship. President Lula agreed and directed the two countries’ trade ministers to begin immediate discussions and coordinate with MERCOSUR members.

The leaders also pledged to promptly implement the outcomes of their talks, especially in expanding market access for agricultural and aquatic products, amid global trade complexities.

They highlighted the importance of enhancing people-to-people exchanges - particularly among youth - and promoting peace, solidarity, and friendship through sports cooperation and academic exchanges. Both governments committed to supporting Vietnamese and Brazilian communities to better integrate and contribute to their host societies.

Discussing international and regional matters, the leaders emphasized continued coordination on global governance, UN reform, poverty reduction, and climate change. They agreed to support each other at international and regional forums, including the UN, WTO, the Non-Aligned Movement, South-South Cooperation, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Both reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in maritime regions, including the South China Sea, in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

On this occasion, Prime Minister Chinh conveyed an invitation from President Luong Cuong for President Lula to attend the UN Convention on Cybercrime signing ceremony in Hanoi this October.

Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on science and technology cooperation, innovation, and digital transformation. They also celebrated the first export batches of Vietnamese pangasius and Brazilian beef.

They noted with satisfaction that each meeting has yielded tangible results, particularly in boosting exports of Vietnamese agricultural and seafood products to Brazil - a key South American market of over 200 million people.