Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is leading a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, to attend the General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, conduct bilateral activities in the US and pay an official visit to Brazil from September 17-26. The PM's visit to Brazil was made at the invitation of President Lula da Silva. The trip continues to affirm Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization and diversification, in combination with comprehensive and effective international integration. It also demonstrates that Vietnam is a trustworthy friend and partner, an active, responsible member of the international community who has proactively participated and promoted its role in multilateral mechanisms.

Vietnam-United Nations: Nearly half a century of companionship

Since Vietnam became an official member of the United Nations 46 years ago, Vietnam-UN cooperation has been continuously strengthened and developed. Utilising the UN’s active support to rise above, Vietnam, from a backward and war-torn country, has made increasingly effective and substantive contributions to the major areas of the world’s largest multilateral organisation, and has actively participated in addressing regional and global problems.

In January 1946, soon after the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh sent a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly, expressing the country’s aspiration to join the UN. Experiencing many historical events, on September 20, 1977, Vietnam officially became the 149^th member of the UN – an organisation that plays a central role in building international law, preserving peace, preventing conflicts and responding to global challenges.

Vietnam-UN relations over the past 46 years have contributed to protecting and promoting Vietnam’s national interests, especially maintaining and strengthening an environment of peace, security and favourable conditions for national development, promoting deeper international integration while contributing to enhancing Vietnam’s position and image in the international arena, and deepening Vietnam’s relations with foreign countries, key partners, and friends, and taking advantage of important resources to facilitate the country’s development.

Looking back to the past, in the process of reconstructing the country after the war and fighting embargoes, Vietnam received effective support from UN programmes. Accordingly, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), World Food Program (WFP), United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), have launched many projects in support of Vietnam in the fields of education, healthcare, protection of women and children, population and family planning.

Bilateral cooperation with the UN has contributed to creating favourable conditions for Vietnam's Doi Moi (Renewal) and international integration process, especially the development of socio-economic infrastructure, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, environmental protection, and sustainable development. During the most difficult time in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam also received great support in the supply of vaccines and medical equipment from the UN, contributing to helping Vietnam effectively control, safely adapt and gradually repel the pandemic.

After more than 35 years of the Renewal process, Vietnam has gained many outstanding achievements. During his official visit to Vietnam in October 2022, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his admiration for the “S-shaped country”.

Cooperation with the United Nations always plays an important role in the Vietnamese Party and State’s foreign policies, reflecting the will and aspirations of the Vietnamese people and the world’s people for peace, independence, democracy, cooperation and development. Promoting the role of the United Nations and multilateralism, promoting respect for international law, equality, friendship and cooperation between countries, Vietnam has participated proactively and responsibly and has made substantive and extensive contributions in all key areas of the United Nations, with many important achievements

During its terms as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2008-2009 and 2020-2021), Vietnam put forward many initiatives and solutions to solve global issues, such as the initiative to declare December 27 as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, the establishment the Group of Friends of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), proposals to overcome the consequences of landmines, protect critical infrastructure in conflicts, and promote cooperation between the UN and ASEAN. Vietnam has also actively participated in the UN’s peacekeeping operations and has contributed to the discussion process and approvals of many important resolutions and declarations of the UN, on development cooperation, disarmament, non-proliferation of mass destruction weapons, anti-terrorism, and human rights.

Vietnam is considered by the UN and the international community to be a successful example in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and a country that is determined and serious about implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. With high expectations from the international community, Vietnam also holds important responsibilities in many major multilateral mechanisms of the UN, such as the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Executive Council of UNESCO, and the International Law Commission. Vietnam has also announced to continue running for several agencies and positions, such as the United Nations Security Council, United Nations Human Rights Council, President of the United Nations General Assembly, and the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Emphasising that Vietnam is a messenger of peace and a country that always strives for solidarity, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his desire for Vietnam to continue to contribute an active role, together with the international community to share experiences, not only in the fight for independence and international legal principles, in reconstruction and inclusive development, but also in efforts to realise common global goals. The UN Secretary-General also expected his hope that the good relationship between the UN and Vietnam will continue to be strengthened, for peace, cooperation and development in the world.

Promoting global trust and solidarity

The world situation has continued to develop complicatedly. The geopolitical situation has changed profoundly, and conflicts in many hotspots have continued. Global challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, energy and food security, and epidemics have a cumulative impact and have threatened global sustainable development. In that context, the need to strengthen international cooperation to address global challenges is extremely urgent.

On September 6, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, USA, the UN General Assembly officially opened its 78th Session, discussing a series of important global issues. The focus of the Session is the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, which is taking place from September 18.

With the theme “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and the sustainability for all”, the high-level general discussion session of the United Nations General Assembly, will focus on discussing the most topical issues, such as climate change, sustainable development, pandemic prevention, and disarmament of nuclear weapons, etc.

Attending and speaking at the high-level General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will bring important messages about strengthening trust, promoting multilateral cooperation, and effectively responding to non-traditional security challenges, promoting sustainable development and global solutions.

At the Climate Ambition Summit and a meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, Vietnamese leader gave a speech emphasising the strengthening of international cooperation, supporting developing countries, and making new commitments from Vietnam to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals; Vietnam's commitment to building a green and circular economy, and proactively responding effectively to climate change, actively implementing commitments at COP26; and the promotion of multilateralism and international cooperation and solidarity to improve the ability to prevent, prepare for and respond to global epidemics.

Within the framework of attending the High-Level General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the delegation also had bilateral meetings with leaders of the UN and other countries, as well as international organisations to further promote the cooperation between Vietnam and international partners and friends to continue to be in-depth and effective.

Vietnam - US relations: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

After 28 years of establishing diplomatic relations (1995-2023) and 10 years of implementing the Comprehensive Partnership (2013-2023), the relationship between the two countries has made great strides with substantive and comprehensive development at both bilateral, regional, and international levels, positively contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development throughout the region and the world.

For Vietnam, the US is one of its strategically important partners. The two sides constantly promote cooperation in politics-diplomacy, economics, education, science-technology, and defence-security.

Based on the achievements of good cooperation, during the state visit to Vietnam by US President Joe Biden at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, from September 10 to 11, 2023, Vietnam and the US has announced the upgrade ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and Sustainable Development. This is an important historical milestone in the relationship between the two countries.

Speaking to the press after talks with US President J. Biden, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasised that the newly upgraded partnership between the two countries continues to be based on the full respect for fundamental principles guiding the bilateral relationship, including respect for the UN Charter, international law, and each other's political systems, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

The contents of the new partnership inherit underway cooperation contents between the two countries and take them to a higher level through the promotion of economic, trade, and investment collaboration, with renovation to be the foundation, focal point, and motivation for bilateral relations while the strengthening of cooperation in science-technology will be a new breakthrough of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed: "Vietnam advances relations with the US and other international partners in the spirit outlined by President Ho Chi Minh after Vietnam regained independence, which is Vietnam is a friend of all countries. Regarding the US, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed Vietnam’s complete independence and Vietnam’s willingness to fully cooperate with the US. This independence and cooperation is beneficial to the whole world."

The 13th National Party Congress set the policy on strengthening and deepening bilateral cooperative relations in the framework of the consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, development, and diversification and multilateralisation of external relations. Vietnam is a friend, a trustworthy partner, as well as an active and responsible member of the international community.

US President J. Biden affirmed that the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is essential to both Vietnam and the U.S., demonstrating the strength of the bilateral relations at a time when the countries have to deal with challenges that can cause great impacts to regional and global relations.

According to the US leader, the two countries will deepen their cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, particularly around building a more resilient semiconductor supply chain; expand their economic partnership, spurring even greater trade and investment between the two nations; enhance cooperation on clearing unexploded ordnance, remediating environmental damage from dioxin, expanding support for people with disabilities, and accounting for American service members still missing in action in Vietnam as well as the fallen or missing Vietnamese soldiers.

“We’re working to tackle the climate crisis and to accelerate Vietnam’s clean energy transition; strengthening global health security and advance treatments for cancer and HIV/AIDS; enhance our security cooperation, including countering trafficking in persons.”

“We’re also investing in strengthening the skilled STEM workforce, promoting educational exchanges and collaboration among our scientists, our entrepreneurs, innovators to better work together to capture the enormous opportunities — and I mean enormous opportunities — of this new age of technology.” ~ US President Joe Biden

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s attendance at the high-level meeting of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, combined with activities in the US, comes following US President Joe Biden’s state visit to Vietnam. The Prime Minister's trip is significant in that it aims to implement the agreements and commitments recently reached between the two countries’ senior leaders in accordance with the spirit of the joint declaration on upgrading Vietnam-US relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, thereby further deepening the cooperation between the two countries.

 “The joint statement on upgrading Vietnam-US relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership is a very important document with ten pillars, covering all areas of cooperation in the two countries' relations. This shows that cooperation between the two countries has not only expanded but also deepened and become more substantive; not only on bilateral cooperation but also on regional and global issues.”
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Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc

According to Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc, the comprehensive strategic partnership brings both immediate and long-term benefits to both Vietnam and the US.

In general terms, Vietnam has opportunities and conditions to develop its relationship with the US, a partner of strategic importance, in an extensive, efficient, and substantive manner to practically serve the development goals, maintain a peaceful and stable environment, and enhance the country's reputation and position, in the spirit of the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution.

For its part, the US has conditions to strengthen relations with Vietnam, a partner with an increasingly important role in the region, thereby strengthening relations with ASEAN and regional countries in general and taking advantage of new cooperation opportunities to enhance its position and role in the region.

The new comprehensive strategic partnership framework will create conditions for the two sides to enhance mutual understanding, build and consolidate trust - a very important foundation in the long-term relationship between the two countries in the following years.

Ngoc added that the upgrade of relations will have a positive impact, increase consensus in each country, create conditions to mobilise and concentrate resources for important cooperation programmes and plans that benefit both sides. Particularly for the US, the comprehensive strategic partnership framework will strengthen bipartisan support for the two countries' relationship, thereby increasing the stability, sustainability and predictability in the US policy towards Vietnam regardless of which party is in power in the US.

One thing that needs to be emphasised is that the comprehensive strategic partnership framework not only brings benefits to the people of the two countries, but also makes an important contribution to peace, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world.

“The establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership with the US once again strongly affirms the soundness as well as the important and prominent outcomes of Vietnam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, diversification, multilateralisation, cooperation and development, and the country's “Four No’s” defence policy.”
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Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc

Vietnam-Brazil: Strengthening and promoting friendship

Vietnam and Brazil officially established diplomatic ties on May 8, 1989. The long-standing friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Brazil have been demonstrated through mutual support at multilateral international forums. To implement the cooperation effectively, the two countries upgraded their relationship to Comprehensive Partnership in May 2007, and trade exchanges have grown steadily since. Over the past 30 years, the relationship between the two countries has grown stronger and gained many encouraging results.

Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world and the largest in South America, possessing an extremely rich variety of flora and fauna because most of its area is located between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer. With a geographical location sharing a border with most other South American countries (except Ecuador and Chile), Brazil plays an important role, both as a large consumer market and as a connection for economic and goods trade among the countries in the region.

Brazil's economy is the largest in Latin America and ranks 8th in the world. The country is rich in natural resources, is the world's second largest agricultural production and the world's third largest export of minerals. Its science and technology reach high levels in many fields, such as production and applied research. In addition, Brazil's aviation, military, mechanical, and manufacturing industries are also quite developed.

After a period of growth decline due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brazilian economy has gradually regained growth momentum, with GDP increasing by 2.9% in 2022 (according to the World Bank). Annual exports are currently at nearly 200 billion USD, mainly natural gas, tin, zinc, gold, silver, coffee, soybeans, and wood products. Meanwhile, Brazil’s import value was about 140 billion USD, mainly including machinery and means of transport, consumer goods, raw materials and semi-finished products, chemicals, crude oil, and food. Brazil's main markets are China, the US, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru, in which the US is the largest investor, followed by Germany, Japan, France, and the UK.

Brazil is a country with an important prestige, position, and role in Latin America and the world. It is also an active member in many international multilateral organisations and mechanisms. Regarding foreign policy, Brazil prioritizes strengthening relations with neighbouring countries, increasing influence with countries in the Caribbean region, and making efforts to strengthen its position and role in the international and regional organisations such as the United Nations, WTO, G20, BRICS, and MERCOSUR.

The Brazilian Government has recently strengthened policies to eliminate poverty and combat social inequality; promote gender equality; fight against violence in general and against women in particular; and support the rights of children and adolescents. In addition, the country has made efforts to ensure environmental sustainability; strengthen protection of the Amazon forest and fight against environmental crimes; join global efforts to curb the climate crisis and meet carbon emission reduction targets set at the 2015 Paris Conference; and change energy consumption and production patterns.

For many years, Vietnam has always considered Brazil one of the most important partners in Latin America. In the context that the two countries are promoting recovery and development after the pandemic, PM Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Brazil is expected to strengthen friendship, solidarity and mutual support between the two countries, as well as fostering cooperation between the two governments and making the Comprehensive Partnership more practical.

Economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries plays an important role and is the basis for boosting the Comprehensive Partnership. Bilateral trade exchange continues to increase, reaching a record of 6.78 billion USD in 2022, an increase of 6.6% compared to 2021.

Brazil is Vietnam’s largest trading partner in Latin America and the second-largest trading partner in the Americas, after the US. Vietnam’s main export products to Brazil include phones, components, computers, electronic products, machinery, spare parts, means of transport, iron and steel, footwear, textile fibres, and seafood. Meanwhile, Vietnam mainly imports items such as ore, minerals, cotton, animal feed, soybeans, corn, wood and wood products, textile raw materials, and garment and shoe leather, from the South American country.

For Vietnam, Brazil is always a big and the most important partner in South America. Economic and trade cooperation is a highlight in bilateral relations. Trade exchange between the two countries has increased exponentially in recent times and reached nearly 7 billion USD. Based on the Comprehensive Partnership, culture-education-tourism exchanges between the two countries continue to be strengthened, bringing the people of Vietnam and Brazil closer together.
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Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Pham Thi Kim Hoa

During the past years, ministries and agencies of the two countries have held many contacts and exchanges, thereby identifying complementary potentials and strengths, to practically promote cooperation in existing fields, in addition to expanding new areas of cooperation. In the future, Vietnam and Brazil will continue to promote market development, focusing on areas such as agricultural cooperation, renewable energy, science and technology, climate change response, digital transformation, and cooperation within the South-South framework.

Vietnam hopes that Brazil soon foster negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and Vietnam, especially during the period when Brazil will assume the Chairmanship of the bloc, during the last six months of 2023.

The two sides also aim to increase investment and business connections. Brazil currently has six investment projects in Vietnam, with a total registered capital of about 3.83 million USD, mainly in the fields of industry, processing and manufacturing (accounting for 68% of registered capital), wholesale-retail (26.6%), and science and technology activities (2.8%).

Regarding multilateral cooperation, Vietnam and Brazil share views on United Nations reform and many other international issues. The two sides cooperate closely and support each other at international forums and organisations. Based on good political relations, Vietnam supported Brazil’s participation in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), during the 2013-2016 term and the Human Rights Council in the 2017-2019 term. Meanwhile, Brazil backed Vietnam’s accession into the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in the 2016-2018 term, the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021 term and most recently, the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

On the sidelines of the expanded summit of G7 in Japan, in May 2023, PM Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with Brazilian President Lula Da Silva, discussing many issues of mutual concern. PM Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam values and wishes to strengthen the Comprehensive Partnership with Brazil, one of Vietnam’s most important partners in the region. Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge to strengthen relations between ASEAN and Brazil and between ASEAN and MERCOSUR.

President Lula Da Silva supported the early start of FTA negotiations between Vietnam and MERCOSUR and hoped the two countries would continue boosting practical cooperation in all aspects, especially in trade, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges, and coordination at international organisations and multilateral forums.

On September 2, at the ceremony to celebrate the 78th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day in Brasilia, Brazilian Deputy Foreign Minister Eduardo Paes Saboia affirmed, that diplomatic relations between Brazil and Vietnam are based on friendship and mutual respect. With great potential and a strongly developing economy, Vietnam is one of Brazil’s long-term partners in Southeast Asia, in the areas of food security, energy, tourism, culture, business, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation at multilateral forums. PM Pham Minh Chinh’s upcoming visit will be an important event towards the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Brazil (May 8, 1989 - 2024), contributing to consolidating the relationship between the governments and peoples of the two countries.

 Certainly, our partnership with ASEAN will pave the way for increased cooperation with Southeast Asia, an important region today, in which Vietnam plays a significant role.
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 Brazilian Deputy Foreign Minister Eduardo Paes Saboia

This official visit to Brazil by PM Pham Minh Chinh aims to strengthen the friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Brazil, as well as Latin American countries, in general, while asserting that Brazil is one of Vietnam’s important partners in the Latin America region and promoting the possibility of launching Vietnam-MERCOSUR FTA negotiations.