From Santiago to Patagonia: Vietnamese Ambassador expands cooperation in Chile's salmon region
WVR- From January 25-30, Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Nguyen Viet Cuong recently completed a working visit to the Aysén region, marking the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1971-2026).
Latest
This is the first working visit by a Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile's southernmost region, occurring ahead of Chile's new government taking office in March 2026, with the aim of expanding the Comprehensive Partnership from the capital to local areas.
The Aysén Region (Región de Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo) is one of Chile's 16 administrative regions, located about 1,350 km south of the capital Santiago, covering an area of over 108,000 km² but with the lowest population density in the country.
Dubbed the “gateway to Chilean Patagonia”, the region boasts pristine nature with fjords, glaciers, and primeval forests, making it an attractive ecotourism destination. It also contributes 80% of Chile's salmon production, positioning Chile as the world's second-largest salmon exporter after Norway.
Coyhaique is the administrative center of the region. Puerto Aysén, the capital of Aysén Province, located 65 km west of Coyhaique, is the industrial hub for fisheries. Puerto Chacabuco is the main seaport, home to large seafood processing plants.
The working program included meetings with Aysén Governor Marcelo Santana Vargas, Senator-elect Miguel Ángel Calisto Águila (officially taking office on March 11, 2026), Mayor of Coyhaique Carlos Gatica Villegas, and Mayor of Puerto Aysén Luis Martínez Gallardo.
 |
| Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Nguyen Viet Cuong working with Aysén Governor Marcelo Santana Vargas. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Chile) |
The Aysén Governor highlighted the region's potential for cooperation, emphasizing that Aysén can provide Vietnam with high-quality, sustainable food sources—particularly salmon. He also extended Lunar New Year greetings, wishing the Year of the Horse brings energy, resilience, and success to bilateral cooperation. Senator-elect Calisto pledged to facilitate agreements to boost cooperation and attract investment to the Patagonia region.
The Embassy, in collaboration with the Chilean Salmon Association (SalmonChile), organized two workshops with the local business community. The first workshop with Gremios Productivos de Puerto Aysén gathered businesses providing services to the fisheries, maritime transport, shipbuilding, fish cage and net production industries, and those interested in scientific and technological cooperation in aquaculture, tourism development combined with production, and circular economy.
The second workshop was attended by the Coyhaique Chamber of Commerce, representatives from Aysén's economic cabinet, and the trade promotion agency ProChile, along with over 20 companies from the energy, fishing and seafood processing, tourism, retail, apparel, and import sectors. Some businesses expressed interest in exploring imports of Vietnamese goods such as solar panels, construction materials, and consumer products.
At the workshops, Ambassador Nguyen Viet Cuong introduced Vietnam's development strategy based on science and technology, private economy, marine economy, and international integration. The Ambassador analyzed the complementary nature of Chile's salmon industry (the world's second-largest) and Vietnam's shrimp industry (the world's third-largest), the potential for combining tourism with seafood production, and the favorable cooperation framework through the bilateral FTA (effective 2014), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
 |
| Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Nguyen Viet Cuong visiting the facilities of AquaChile—Chile's largest and the world's second-largest seafood corporation. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Chile) |
The Ambassador also visited the facilities of AquaChile—Chile's largest and the world's second-largest seafood corporation—and Mowi, the world's largest Norwegian seafood corporation (accounting for about 20% of the global market share), to learn about advanced aquaculture technologies such as the Mowi 4.0 Smart Farming remote monitoring system and the Salmon Tourism model (Turismo Salmonero). He proposed connecting with the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) to exchange experiences.
The working visit to Aysén contributes to economic diplomacy, extending Vietnam-Chile cooperation from the capital Santiago to Chile's vital fisheries resource region.
(Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Chile)
