President of Panama's visit to Vietnam: A strong message of friendship and shared commitment for the future

Panama's Ambassador to Vietnam Nubiela Ayala Modes answers questions from Vietnamese media. (Photo: VNA))

According to Panama's Ambassador to Vietnam Nubiela Ayala Modes, this is President José Raúl Mulino's first official visit to Vietnam, marking a historic milestone in the relations between the two countries.

More from WVR
President of Panama José Raúl Mulino and spouse to pay official visit to Vietnam

The visit highlights Panama's growing appreciation for Vietnam, a key partner of the Central American nation in Southeast Asia, while opening opportunities to enhance cooperation in areas such as trade, maritime, logistics investment, and people-to-people exchanges.

More importantly, the visit conveys a strong message of friendship and shared commitment in building an increasingly cohesive and dynamic bilateral relationship in the coming years.

The visit is particularly significant when reflecting on the development journey of the two countries' relations, with exchanges and cooperation continuously expanding in fields such as tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and education. Ambassador Nubiela Ayala Modes emphasized that all these efforts will continue to foster the relationship between Panama and Vietnam.

Moreover, President José Raúl Mulino is particularly interested in strengthening Panama's cooperation with Vietnam, aiming for mutual benefits for both countries in the future. The Ambassador noted that it is important for the two countries to continue nurturing friendship while jointly aiming for shared benefits and the development of both nations based on the relationship they have built over more than 50 years.

Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang and Panama's Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos A. Hoyos co-chair the second Vietnam-Panama Political Consultation Session, July 28. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Complementary gateways between two dynamic regions

Discussing the potential for cooperation between the two countries, Ambassador Nubiela Ayala Modes highlighted the strategic role of the Panama Canal for the nation, noting that Panama's greatest advantage is not only opening the door to the domestic market but also serving as a strategic foundation connecting global trade with Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Panama Canal, its port system, logistics infrastructure, the Colón Free Trade Zone, and international connectivity create an attractive environment for Vietnamese businesses to expand distribution, logistics, trade, and investment activities throughout the region.

This can also help Vietnamese businesses establish a stronger presence in Latin American and Caribbean markets. For Panama, this Central American country can benefit from Vietnam's dynamism, production capacity, and increasingly important role in Southeast Asia.

Ambassador Nubiela Ayala Modes affirmed that Panama views Vietnam as an important partner and a natural bridge to strengthen relations with ASEAN. In this spirit, Panama seeks to deepen dialogue, promote closer interaction between the business communities and institutions of both sides, and identify practical cooperation opportunities to bring Southeast Asia and Latin America closer together.

“In this sense, Panama and Vietnam have the potential to become complementary gateways for each other between two dynamic regions, opening up new opportunities for trade, investment, connectivity, and long-term cooperation,” the diplomat expressed.

A ship passing through the Panama Canal. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Notably, Ambassador Nubiela Ayala Modes noted that Panama and Vietnam share a deep concern for the stability, efficiency, and resilience of global maritime trade. This opens up significant opportunities to enhance cooperation in port management, logistics, maritime transport services, maritime training, digital transformation, and sharing best practices.

The maritime relationship between the two countries has a practical foundation through the Consulate General of Panama in Ho Chi Minh City, which also serves as the official representative for the Panama Maritime Authority. It provides maritime services and crew support while maintaining close ties with the Vietnamese maritime community. Notably, the issuance of Panama seafarer licenses to eligible Vietnamese citizens enables them to work on Panama-flagged ships, creating a direct connection between Vietnamese seafarers and the Panama Maritime Authority.

According to her, to help prevent disruptions in the global supply chain, the two countries can also enhance cooperation in areas such as port operations coordination, information sharing, digital connectivity, maritime safety, cybersecurity, and incident response planning.

Closer coordination between maritime authorities, ports, shipping lines, and logistics service providers will improve forecasting capabilities, minimize delays, and respond more effectively to disruptions on international trade routes.

Panama's rich international experience in maritime and logistics, combined with Vietnam's growing role in international trade and abundant maritime human resources, will provide a solid foundation to make maritime cooperation one of the most strategic and practical pillars of the bilateral relationship, while also ensuring a smooth and reliable flow of global trade.

On May 28, Director General of the Consular Department Doan Hoang Minh presented the Consular Acceptance Certificate to Nubiela Yanarith Ayala Modes, the new Consul General of Panama in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Nubiela Yanarith Ayala Modes also serves as Panama's Ambassador to Vietnam. (Photo: Consular Department)

For a closer friendship

In addition to economic-trade and maritime cooperation, Ambassador Nubiela Ayala Modes emphasized that President José Raúl Mulino's visit is also an important opportunity to deepen the cooperative relationship between the two countries, political dialogues, enhance mutual understanding, and transform the friendship nurtured over more than five decades into new strategic cooperation areas with practical effectiveness.

Looking to the future, the goal of Vietnam and Panama is to build a diverse, dynamic, and mutually beneficial relationship; not only strengthening ties between the two governments but also promoting deeper connections between businesses, universities, organizations, and the people of both countries.

The Ambassador shared that cultural and tourism exchanges play a crucial role in bringing the people of Panama and Vietnam closer together. Beyond diplomacy and trade, sustainable relations between nations are also nurtured by deeper mutual understanding, personal connections, and shared experiences. Both countries boast rich cultural traditions, unique cuisines, numerous natural attractions, and strong national identities, opening up many opportunities for exchanges.

Promoting tourism, cultural activities, academic cooperation, and exchanges between students, experts, and youth will help the people of both countries understand each other better and build a closer friendship.

In this sense, culture and tourism can become important bridges between Panama and Vietnam, complementing economic and maritime cooperation while providing the bilateral relationship with a more humanistic and sustainable depth.

“I believe that the visit will certainly have a positive impact on the bilateral relationship, as Panama considers Vietnam a very important friend and partner in the region,” the diplomat stated.

Promoting connectivity and cooperation between Vietnam and South American countries in currency production WVR - On the morning of November 5, Q&T Hi-tech Polymer, a leading developer of polymer substrate technology in Vietnam, hosted a reception and working ...

AMM 59: Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung meets Panamanian counterpart Javier Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez WVR - On July 24, in Manila, Philippines, Politburo Member and Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung met with Panama's Minister of Foreign Affairs ...

Vietnam-Panama: Bridging economies in Latin America and ASEAN WVR - At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama Carlos Arturo ...

Ambassador Nguyen Van Hai: A new beginning for Vietnam - Panama relations WVR - On the occasion of President of Panama José Raúl Mulino and his spouse's official visit to Vietnam (October 5-8), Vietnamese Ambassador to Mexico, ...

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and spouse begin official visit to Vietnam WVR/VNA - On October 5 afternoon, President of the Republic of Panama José Raúl Mulino and his spouse, Maricel Cohen De Mulino, arrived in Hanoi, ...