Hanoi (VNA)🙈 – The Vietnam International Sourcing Expo 2025, scheduled for September 4–6 in Ho Chi Minh City, is expected to be a major platform for promoting trade, investment, and tourism between Vietnam and global markets, especially Brazil - the largest economy in Latin America.

This year, a delegation of 20 Brazilian companies and buyers will attend the event. Pham Hong Trang, First Secretary and head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Brazil, said this participation reflects Brazil’s increasing interest in Vietnam’s supply chains and production capacity. Leading Brazilian firms such as Mar E Rio Pescados, De Marchi, American Nutrients do Brasil, GreenLife Solution, Cecil Group, and Slot International will take part in the event, along with trade organisations like the Brazil-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BVCCI). Many of them are seeking opportunities to import Vietnamese agricultural and processed food products. Mar E Rio Pescados, one of Brazil’s largest seafood distributors, already imports tra fish, tilapia, tuna, shrimp, and rice from Vietnam and is planning to diversify its sourcing portfolio. BVCCI has highlighted areas for deeper cooperation, including rice, rubber, plastics, seafood, furniture, chemicals, and industrial equipment. These sectors align with Vietnam’s export strengths and Brazil’s market demand. The expo is expected to strengthen business-to-business (B2B) ties, facilitate technology transfer, and support the signing of export contracts, helping build a stable and sustainable bilateral supply chain. Trang emphasised that the event also aims to concretise the outcomes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Brazil in July, which saw the symbolic exchange of the first shipment of Brazilian beef to Vietnam and Vietnamese fish to Brazil. The event also lays the groundwork for negotiations toward a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), led by Brazil. Such an agreement would offer preferential tariffs and investment protection to businesses on both sides. Despite a slight 5% dip in bilateral trade in the first five months of 2025, totaling 3.33 billion USD, Vietnam’s exports to Brazil including seafood, rubber, textiles, footwear, and steel remain robust. Brazil, in turn, supplies soybeans, wheat, corn, cotton, and animal feed, all essential to Vietnam’s supply chain and food security. With 213 million people and a steadily growing economy, Brazil is emerging as a key partner in Vietnam’s market diversification strategy. Events like Vietnam International Sourcing Expo are critical in helping Vietnamese firms meet global standards and integrate more deeply into global value chains./.