Vietnam PM asks Brazil's aerospace giant Embraer to help with air logistics development

Vietnam seeks to build an air logistics center and plans to collaborate with Brazil’s aerospace giant Embraer for the task, says Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

PM Chinh made the statement at a Sunday (local time) meeting in Rio de Janeiro with Jose Serrador, Embraer Global's vice president. The meeting was part of Chinh’s ongoing trip to the Latin American nation to attend the G20 Summit and join bilateral activities.

Chinh highlighted Vietnam’s advantages, including its prime location to fly to areas accounting for 60% of global GDP in only five hours. Another is the inevitable trend of flying thanks to the growing incomes in Vietnam and the stronger cooperation among different areas in the world.

The government head also asked Embraer to consult with Vietnam about aviation development; help Vietnamese airlines, including flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, budget airline VietJet and Bamboo Airways, with sustainable fleet development; pilot training; aircraft maintenance; airport construction and operation; and other activities such as search and rescue.

For his part, Embraer executive said the firm is willing to cooperate with Vietnam, especially for air routes linking to Con Dao, an island in southern Vietnam with a small airport capable of receiving small planes.

Embraer, the third-biggest aircraft manufacturer in the world (only behind Airbus and Boeing), has an annual capacity of 150 units and has so far manufactured 8,000 planes. In Vietnam, Bamboo Airways once operated five Embraer aircraft in 2020-2023.

PM Chinh also had meetings with executives from Alterosa, a smart card manufacturing company; JBS, a meet processing enterprise; and Oceanside One Trading, a major trading firm. Chinh called for more cooperation and investment from Brazilian businesses.

On the same day, Vietnam and Brazil issued a joint statement to elevate their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

The two countries welcomed the sustainable growth in bilateral economic exchanges and pledged to further promote trade and investment. They reaffirmed the targets to raise bilateral trade to $10 billion in 2025 and $15 billion in 2030.