Youngest Honorary Consul of Vietnam: 'Representing Vietnam means representing a history of courage'

Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Rio de Jainero Marcelle Torres Alves Okuno had the opportunity to welcome Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse and the high-level Vietnamese delegation during their visit to Brazil for the BRICS Expanded Summit 2025 and official engagements from July 4-8, 2025. (Source: VGP)

On the occasion of the second Conference of Honorary Consuls of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Abroad, The World & Vietnam Report spoke with Marcelle Torres Alves Okuno, Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Rio de Jainero, Brazil, 35 year-old, the youngest among Vietnam’s Honorary Consuls and the only woman in the delegation, about her affection for Vietnam, her journey of bringing the two peoples closer together, and her hopes for the future of Vietnam-Brazil relations.

Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Rio de Jainero (Brazil) Marcelle Torres Alves Okuno speaks with World & Vietnam Report. (Photo: Yen Vi)

From your initial interest in Vietnam to becoming the Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Rio de Jainero, Brazil, it must have been a remarkable journey. What first brought you to Vietnam and inspired you to take on this responsibility?

My interest in Vietnam grew naturally from my work in international relations and diplomacy. The more closely I followed Vietnam, the more fascinated I became by the way your country understands and responds to developments in international affairs.

Vietnam is a country that has emerged from the devastation of war to become a responsible voice in the international community, a country that promotes dialogue and peace among nations. I have been particularly impressed by the way Vietnam navigates complex geopolitical relationships, as well as by its increasingly proactive role in international affairs and at the United Nations.

Vietnam has demonstrated an ability to build consensus, foster trust and earn support from countries with very different political and social systems.

The peaceful settlement of disputes is also a value deeply shared by Brazil and enshrined in our Constitution. For that reason, I greatly admire Vietnam’s determination to safeguard its sovereignty while preserving the identity, history and cultural values that have sustained the nation through its most challenging periods.

Although Vietnam and Brazil are separated by half a world, geography does not diminish the enormous potential for cooperation. Vietnam today is a dynamic economy with an increasingly prominent international standing and considerable room for further growth. I believe the world, and Brazil in particular, needs to know Vietnam better for what it is today.

That conviction is one of the reasons I chose to contribute through people-to-people diplomacy. I want Brazilians to see Vietnam beyond the images associated with war in the past, and to discover a modern, dynamic country, rich in potential and actively shaping its future in an increasingly uncertain world.

For me, becoming Vietnam’s Honorary Consul is therefore an opportunity to accompany a country whose history, culture and values resonate deeply with me. It is also a journey of learning more about Vietnam: how it approaches international law, how it views global challenges and how it responds to a rapidly changing world. In doing so, I hope to contribute to bringing Vietnam-Brazil relations closer and making them stronger.

I accept this responsibility with profound respect, humility and a strong sense of duty, because every activity and initiative undertaken in this role can contribute to strengthening the friendship between the peoples of our two countries.

I am confident that Vietnam-Brazil relations will continue to open new opportunities for broader and more substantive cooperation. I want to devote my energy, academic background and experience to people-to-people diplomacy, helping transform the connections between our two countries into tangible results in the fields of economy, defense, science and technology, culture, education and people-to-people exchanges. Through these efforts, I hope we can further nurture and deepen the friendship between the Vietnamese and Brazilian peoples.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang presents a letter of commendation from the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs to Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Brazil Marcelle Torres Alves Okuno. (Photo: Trung Anh)

During your tenure as Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Rio de Jainero, Brazil, what milestones and activities have you undertaken to bring the two countries closer together, and what initiatives are you hoping to pursue in the coming years?

I began working in foreign affairs in 2017. Before becoming Honorary Consul of Vietnam, I founded Asia Colours, a company dedicated to promoting connections among Asian countries in Brazil. Through that work, my relationship with Vietnam gradually developed and became increasingly meaningful.

My professional relationship with the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil began in 2019, when I invited the Embassy to participate in an Asian exhibition I organized in Rio de Janeiro, with a focus on ASEAN. It was the first time the Vietnamese Embassy had taken part in an event I organized in the city. What began as an effort to introduce Vietnam’s culture, history and image gradually developed into broader and deeper connections between our two sides.

I formally began my work as Honorary Consul during the 2024 G20 Summit, when Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva invited Vietnamese representatives to participate in the G20 in Rio de Janeiro. I worked closely with the Vietnamese Embassy to coordinate the Vietnamese delegation, which included representatives from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries and agencies, and supported the delegation’s program during the summit.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi presents the appointment decision to Marcelle Torres Alves Okuno as Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Rio de Jainero, Brazil. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil)

In 2025, when Brazil hosted the BRICS Expanded Summit in Rio de Janeiro and Vietnam participated for the first time as a BRICS Partner Country, I continued to support and coordinate similar activities. These experiences gave me greater opportunities to connect with institutions, organizations and partners from both countries, while also allowing me to gain a clearer understanding of the areas where Vietnam and Brazil can work together.

Looking ahead, I want to expand my role across several areas. First and foremost, I hope to bring the image of a modern, dynamic and culturally rich Vietnam closer to the Brazilian people. I want to do this by introducing Vietnam’s history, culture, development achievements and contributions to the international community.

I also want to promote educational and academic cooperation more strongly by encouraging exchange programs, institutional partnerships and joint research between universities and research institutions in the two countries. I believe these connections can provide a lasting foundation for bilateral relations, particularly as more young people in both countries become interested in one another.

Another priority is strengthening economic and business ties. Rio de Janeiro has considerable strengths in areas such as energy, infrastructure, maritime industries, tourism, creative industries and technology. I want to identify areas where these strengths intersect with Vietnam’s capabilities and needs, helping connect businesses, institutions and partners and turning potential into practical cooperation.

I also attach great importance to consular and community affairs. In this area, I hope to work closely with the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil to support Vietnamese citizens and strengthen the bonds within the Vietnamese community in Brazil.

Ultimately, I see my role first and foremost as that of a bridge builder. I want to turn goodwill and good ideas between the two countries into concrete connections across culture, education, business and people-to-people exchanges. I hope my academic background and experience in foreign affairs will enable me to contribute to a Vietnam-Brazil relationship that is stronger, more widely known and increasingly substantive.

Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Rio de Jainero, Brazil, Marcelle Torres Alves Okuno speaks at the seminar “The Concepts of State and Sovereignty as Pillars for the Resolution of International Disputes”, organized by the Faculty of International Law, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, on November 5, 2025. (Source: Faculty of International Law, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam)

As the youngest Honorary Consul of Vietnam and the only woman in the delegation, what message would you like to send to young people in Vietnam and Brazil who aspire to become “ambassadors” and bridges between nations?

Becoming the youngest Honorary Consul of Vietnam is a great honour and a responsibility I am deeply aware of. I believe that youth can bring a particular perspective to diplomacy, especially through proximity to the challenges, aspirations, and transformations experienced by new generations. We also have the opportunity to contribute with new forms of communication, to use technology to bring people closer together, and to establish more natural connections between different cultures and communities.

For me, being given the opportunity by Vietnam to represent the country abroad is not simply a personal recognition. It is a long-term responsibility and commitment to bringing Vietnam and Brazil closer together.

Our two countries share many important values: the determination to overcome challenges, respect for sovereignty, the pursuit of sustainable development and the aspiration to build a prosperous future for our people. I want to help turn these shared values into closer and more substantive connections between our two societies.

I believe young people can begin with very practical steps. We can help Brazilians understand Vietnam better while bringing Brazil closer to Vietnamese people through education, culture, science, technology, tourism and new communication platforms. I am particularly interested in promoting university exchanges, connecting businesses and investors, and creating more opportunities for young people from both countries to meet, learn from one another and develop new ideas together.

Young people today also possess an advantage that previous generations did not have: they were born and raised in a technological world. They use artificial intelligence, digital technologies and new forms of communication naturally. This is an enormous resource for people-to-people diplomacy and bilateral relations.

Young people can bring energy, modernity and fresh ideas while preserving traditional values, cultural identities and the principles that matter to each society.

I also hope that the diplomacy of the younger generation will focus on future-oriented areas such as the green economy, the marine economy, innovation, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, sustainable agriculture and smart cities. When Vietnamese and Brazilian young people work together in these fields, they will not simply understand each other better; they can also become the people who directly create new achievements for the relationship between our two countries.

As a young woman given the opportunity by Vietnam to take on this position, I feel an even stronger responsibility to inspire others. I hope my story can encourage other young women to believe that they can step onto the international stage, take on greater responsibilities and contribute to their country as well as to international relations.

I believe this is how young people can become true “ambassadors”. Diplomacy is not created solely through high-level meetings or signed documents. It also begins with the way we understand another culture, build a friendship, connect an idea or create a project together.

When young people from Vietnam and Brazil take the initiative to move toward one another, they can become the most natural and enduring bridges between our two countries.

Second Conference of Honorary Consuls of Vietnam held in Quang Ninh WVR - On the morning of July 30, in Quang Ninh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the People's Committee of Quang Ninh ...

Conference of Vietnam's Honorary Consuls: Come to Vietnam and witness a rapidly transforming economy “Come to Vietnam and experience for yourself the opportunities unfolding here.” That is the first message Mr. Vasileios Konstantinidis, Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Thessaloniki ...

Quang Ninh welcomes delegates to the second Conference of Honorary Consuls of Vietnam WVR - On the evening of July 29, in Quang Ninh Province, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the People's Committee of Quang ...

Honorary Consul in Zug (Switzerland): Trust is the most valuable capital for attracting investment to Vietnam WVR - Vietnam’s Honorary Consul in Zug (Switzerland), former German Vice Chancellor Philipp Rösler believes that trust is the most important foundation for attracting investment. ...

New directions for Vietnam's Honorary Consular network abroad Vietnam’s network of 48 Honorary Consuls abroad has increasingly established itself as a vital bridge in protecting Vietnamese citizens, promoting economic, trade and investment cooperation, ...