Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong promotes legislative cooperation with Chile's new Congress
WVR - On May 12, at the Chilean Congress headquarters in the port city of Valparaíso, Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Nguyen Viet Cuong held meetings with the Chile-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group, a number of leaders of the House of Representatives, and the International Relations Department of the Chilean Senate.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong attends a Session of the Chilean House of Representatives. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Chile) |
The new Chilean Congress, House of Representatives and Senate for the 2026-2030 term, began operations on March 11, 2026. This marks Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong's first official visit to the Chilean Congress in the new term.
In the early months of the term, the Chilean House of Representatives re-established the Chile-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group with 31 members, continuing the tradition of previous Congresses. The Ambassador's meetings are among the inaugural activities commemorating the 55th anniversary of Vietnam-Chile diplomatic relations (1971-2026).
The meeting with the Friendship Parliamentary Group took place in the Francisco Bulnes Room of the House of Representatives. The group is chaired by Representative Gael Yeomans, with three Vice Chairs: Representatives Marcos Barraza, Hector Barría, and Daniel Bustos. The group's members represent geographic areas spanning from North to South Chile.
During the day's meetings, the Ambassador shared insights on the 55 year Vietnam-Chile relationship, highlighting Chile as the first South American country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam (1971) and the first Latin American country to sign a Free Trade Agreement with Vietnam (2011, effective from 2014).
The Ambassador and his counterparts discussed cooperative activities for 2026, including promoting exchanges between the two countries' Congresses, organizing cultural activities and events to commemorate the 55th anniversary at the Chilean Congress, legislative connections between Committees and Friendship Parliamentary Groups of both countries, and other commemorative activities throughout the year.
During the meeting with the Group, many Representatives introduced their respective regions and highlighted their unique strengths, ranging from agriculture and fisheries to tourism and culture, expressing a desire to connect with Vietnam in trade, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
The Ambassador suggested that the Group's Representatives could serve as a bridge between Chilean and Vietnamese localities in these fields. Subsequently, the Chilean House of Representatives welcomed the Ambassador at a plenary session.
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| Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong working with the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chilean House of Representatives. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Chile) |
The Ambassador also held meetings with Deputy Speaker of the House Felipe Camaño, representing the Ñuble region in central Chile, and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Stephan Schubert. The Ambassador invited Mr. Schubert to lead a delegation of Chilean parliamentarians to visit Vietnam during the term.
Starting the day at the Chilean Senate headquarters, the Ambassador proposed to Juan Osés Moya, Director of the Senate's International Relations Department, to explore the possibility of establishing a Chile-Vietnam Friendship Group in the Senate, corresponding to the group recently re-established in the House of Representatives.
In 2025, Vietnam-Chile trade turnover reached approximately USD 1.2 billion, with Vietnam exporting over USD 1 billion to Chile, an increase of 28.5% compared to the previous year. In 2026, the Vietnamese Embassy in Chile implements numerous activities to commemorate the 55th anniversary, including cultural, academic events, and coordinated activities with the Chilean Congress.
(Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Chile)
