Panamanian President’s trip to Vietnam marks historic milestone in bilateral relations: ambassador

Hanoi (VNA) – The official visit to Vietnam from October 5-8 by Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and his spouse marks a historic milestone in the relations between the two countries, Panamanian Ambassador to Vietnam Nubiela Ayala Modes affirmed in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the trip.

This is the first official visit to Vietnam by President José Raúl Mulino, demonstrating Panama’s growing importance attached to Vietnam as a key partner in Southeast Asia and opening opportunities to strengthen cooperation in trade, maritime affairs, logistics, investment and people-to-people exchanges.

More importantly, the visit will convey a strong message of friendship and shared commitment to building an increasingly close and dynamic bilateral relationship in the years ahead. It is also particularly meaningful as bilateral ties have continuously expanded in areas such as tourism, people-to-people exchanges and education over more than five decades.

According to the ambassador, President Mulino attaches particular importance to strengthening Panama’s collaboration with Vietnam for the mutual benefit of the two countries. She stressed that the two sides should continue nurturing their friendship and pursuing shared interests and development on the foundation built over more than 50 years.

Regarding Panama’s role in helping Vietnamese businesses access Latin American and Caribbean markets, Modes said Panama’s greatest advantage is that it serves not only as a gateway to its domestic market but also as a strategic platform connecting global trade with Latin America and the Caribbean. The Panama Canal, seaports and logistics infrastructure, the Colon Free Trade Zone and extensive international connectivity provided favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to expand distribution, logistics, trade and investment activities across the region, she said.

For Vietnam, this could help its businesses strengthen their presence in Latin American and Caribbean markets, while Panama could benefit from Vietnam’s dynamism, manufacturing capacity and increasingly important role in Southeast Asia.

The ambassador described Vietnam as an important partner and a natural bridge for Panama to strengthen its ties with ASEAN, expressing her country’s hope to deepen dialogue, promote closer interaction between business communities and institutions, and identify practical opportunities to bring Southeast Asia and Latin America closer together.

In this regard, Panama and Vietnam have the potential to become complementary gateways between the two dynamic regions, opening up new opportunities for trade, investment, connectivity and long-term cooperation.

On maritime cooperation amid growing disruptions and uncertainties in global supply chains, the diplomat assessed that Panama and Vietnam share a strong interest in the stability, efficiency and resilience of global maritime trade.

This creates important opportunities to strengthen cooperation in port management, logistics, maritime transport services, maritime training, digital transformation and the sharing of best practices, she noted.

To help prevent disruptions to global supply chains, the two countries could further cooperate in port coordination, information sharing, digital connectivity, maritime safety, cybersecurity and contingency planning. Closer coordination among maritime authorities, ports, shipping lines and logistics service providers will improve forecasting, minimise delays and enhance responses to disruptions along international trade routes.

Modes said Panama’s extensive international experience in maritime affairs and logistics, combined with Vietnam’s growing role in international trade and abundant maritime workforce, provides a solid foundation for making maritime cooperation a strategic and practical pillar of bilateral relations and contributing to smooth and reliable global trade flows.

Regarding cultural and tourism exchanges, the ambassador said President Mulino’s visit will provide an important opportunity to deepen bilateral cooperation and political dialogue, enhance mutual understanding and translate the friendship cultivated over more than five decades into new areas of strategic and practical cooperation.

She stressed that the two countries should work toward a diverse, dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship that not only strengthened government-to-government ties but also promoted broader connections among businesses, universities, organisations and people.

Cultural and tourism exchanges play an important role in bringing the people of Panama and Vietnam closer together, she said, noting that sustainable relations between countries are built not only through diplomacy and trade but also through deeper mutual understanding, personal connections and shared experiences.

With their rich cultural traditions, distinctive cuisines, natural attractions and strong national identities, Panama and Vietnam have ample room to expand exchanges. Promoting tourism, cultural activities, academic cooperation and exchanges among students, experts and young people will help their peoples better understand one another and forge closer bonds of friendship.

The ambassador expressed her belief that the visit will have a positive impact on bilateral relations, stressing that Panama regards Vietnam as a close friend and an important partner in the region./.