During the Sept. 23-25 trip, PM Pham Minh Chinh is scheduled to hold talks with President Lula da Silva, co-chair a joint press briefing after talks, and witness the signing of a number of cooperation documents between Vietnam and Brazil.

He will meet leaders of the National Congress of Brazil, the Brazil Parliamentary Friendship Group, and some Brazilian political parties and friendship organizations.

He will call at the Vietnamese Embassy, meet representatives of the Vietnamese community, and inaugurate a photo exhibition about President Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, its land and people.

He will also attended a Vietnam - Brazil business forum and receive leaders of some leading Brazilian businesses.

Vietnam and Brazil established diplomatic relations in 1989. The two countries lifted their ties to a comprehensive partnership in May 2007 during a Brazil visit by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.

Brazil is Vietnam’s largest trading partner in Latin America and the second largest in the Americas after the United States. Law year saw two-way trade turnover record a year-on-year rise of 6.6% to US$6.78 billion.

Major Vietnamese export items are phones and components, computers, electronic products and components, machinery, equipment, other tools and spare parts, means of transport and spare parts, iron and steel, shoes, textile fibers, and aquatic products.

The main import items are ores and other minerals, cotton of all kinds, animal feed and raw materials, soybeans, corn, wood and wood products.

Vietnam is lobbying Brazil to speed up negotiations of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) that is comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Brazil is the incumbent president of MERCOSUR.

Brazil currently has six investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of US$3.83 million, mainly in the fields of processing and manufacturing, retail services.

Vietnam has two investment projects in Brazil valued at US$300,000.