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According to a report by the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, since assuming his post in Vietnam in 2023, Ambassador Marco Farani has played a pivotal role in arranging, connecting, and providing logistical support for high-level visits and engagements between the two countries. These included Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to attend the G20 Summit in Brazil (November 2024) and the State visit to Vietnam by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (March 2025). These visits created important momentum for Vietnam and Brazil to officially upgrade their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in November 2024, marking a new milestone after 35 years of diplomatic relations (1989-2024) and 17 years of a Comprehensive Partnership (since 2007).

The President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations presents the Medal “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” to Ambassador Marco Farani, Ambassador of Brazil to Vietnam. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

In the economic sphere, Ambassador Marco Farani actively promoted trade missions and business connectivity activities through promotion events jointly organized by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) and the Embassy of Brazil in Vietnam. These activities helped Brazilian enterprises participate in trade fairs and connect with Vietnamese partners, expanded investment opportunities, and laid the foundation for bilateral trade growth toward the target of USD 10 billion in two-way trade. Notably, the Ambassador actively advocated policies to open markets for key agricultural products of both countries, including Vietnamese tilapia, pangasius, and basa fish, as well as Brazilian beef.

In the fields of culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges, Ambassador Marco Farani regularly participated in and co-organized cultural exchange activities in Hanoi and many localities. He also authored numerous articles, gave interviews, and delivered remarks in Vietnamese media, contributing to enhancing positive awareness among the public and business community regarding Vietnam-Brazil relations.

The Ambassador also worked closely with the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, the Vietnam-Brazil Friendship and Cooperation Association, and relevant agencies and localities to organize a wide range of cultural and sports activities. Notably, the cooperation agreement between the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), signed during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s visit to Vietnam (March 2025), has been assessed as an important step forward in promoting cooperation, training, and competition between the two football communities.

Speaking at the medal-awarding ceremony, Phan Anh Son, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, highly praised the efforts and outstanding results achieved by Ambassador Marco Farani in promoting Vietnam-Brazil relations in general and people-to-people cooperation in particular.

According to Phan Anh Son, during the Ambassador’s tenure, the frequency of high-level contacts between the two countries increased significantly; bilateral relations were upgraded; and the quality of cooperation across political, economic, trade, investment, and people-to-people exchange fields all experienced new developments, becoming more in-depth and substantive.

Phan Anh Son expressed his appreciation to Ambassador Marco Farani for the affection he has shown toward the country and people of Vietnam, and concurred with the Ambassador’s assessment that Vietnam-Brazil friendship have made very positive strides following Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Brazil.

According to Phan Anh Son, there remains substantial room for the two sides to deepen their engagement, particularly strategic engagement and people-to-people ties. With a population of approximately 100 million in Vietnam and around 220 million in Brazil, this constitutes an important foundation for the two countries to strengthen their connection and to play a more substantive role and voice in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and the world.

Ambassador Marco Farani and his spouse, President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Phan Anh Son (third from the left), and Major General Hoang Kim Phung, former Director of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Vice President of the Vietnam-Brazil Friendship and Cooperation Association, pose for a commemorative photo. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Phan Anh Son noted that Vietnam is entering a new stage of development amid profound changes in regional and global dynamics, with intensifying strategic competition, particularly in the fields of science and technology, artificial intelligence, and core technologies. In this context, people-to-people cooperation between Vietnam and Brazil needs to be further strengthened in a manner commensurate with its existing potential. He expressed his hope that the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations would continue to work closely with the new Ambassador of Brazil to Vietnam to carry out a wide range of vibrant activities, enhance connections between the peoples and mass organizations of the two countries, and further expand cooperation across the Latin American region. He also expressed the hope that, after completing his term, Ambassador Marco Farani would continue to show interest in, support, and accompany Vietnamese partners in promoting strategic engagement and strengthening friendly relations between the peoples of Vietnam and Brazil.

Ambassador Marco Farani thanked the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations for its warm and respectful reception, and shared his special affection for the country and people of Vietnam. The Ambassador highly appreciated Vietnam’s dynamism and resilience, as well as its combination of flexibility, adaptability, and systematic approaches in development, noting that these are positive similarities between the peoples of Vietnam and Brazil.

The Ambassador emphasized that bilateral relations have seen clear improvement following Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Brazil in 2023 and the sidelines meetings at the G20, BRICS, G7, and ASEAN. According to the Ambassador, bilateral trade turnover has reached approximately USD 8 billion and holds strong prospects of soon attaining USD 10-15 billion, particularly following the opening of markets for Brazilian beef and Vietnamese seafood products.

Within the framework of the Strategic Partnership, the Ambassador stated that the two countries have identified priority areas for cooperation, including defense, agriculture, energy transition, and science and technology. He also expressed confidence that cooperation between the two countries, including people-to-people cooperation with the coordination of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, will continue to be strengthened in the time ahead.

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