The Embassy of the Argentine Republic in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam organized the “8th Argentine Week in Hanoi”, which took place from October 9 to October 13 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Argentina and Vietnam (October 25, 1973-October 25, 2023).

The Argentine Ambassador to Vietnam, Luis Pablo María Beltramino, speaks to The Hanoi Times about the event, and the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Argentine Ambassador to Vietnam, Luis Pablo María Beltramino.

What does the Argentine Week in Hanoi mean to the relations between the two nations?

This is the eighth edition of the Argentine Week in Hanoi. We've been doing this for the last several years, except for the time during the Covid-19 pandemic. We want to promote Argentina not only in terms of products but also in culture. It's more important this year since we are having the festivities of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral relations between Argentina and Vietnam.

We have done many activities during the year to commemorate the establishment of the bilateral relations. We are very happy to be here this year for this reason.

What do you offer to the Vietnamese people at the event?

What we have done here this week, like we do normally every year, is pairing beef and wine, which are two flagship products from Argentina that we export around the world and they're very prestigious. We're competing with the best beef and wine in the world and trying to bring it to the locals in Vietnam and Hanoi.

With these two products, we combine other products we’ve explored for many years in Vietnam, such as seafood. Last but not least, we are promoting our Argentine infusion and tea, Yerba Mate, as part of all the events. We also have a program on the TV channel with Argentine cuisine, reflecting how we cook our beef, which is one of our main foods like the rice in Vietnam. We’ve also had a combination of different types of Argentine food during the edition. There was an Argentine Beef and Wine Day. At the event, we promoted our products to representatives from the hotel business sector, from restaurants, supermarkets, and importers, and some other businesses that could be interested in our products.

What activities do you plan to enhance the ties between the two nations?

We're preparing our events for next year, and of course, we will have another edition of this event. We will also be planning to have trade missions to Vietnam and, hopefully, arrange high-level visits in the future. These are some of the ideas to foster our positive cooperation.

We also are working with Vietnam in the technical assistant cooperation in many fields of the agricultural sector. We also are trying to diversify our exports and products. These are part of the activities we will have in Vietnam.

How do you evaluate the potential of cooperation between Vietnam and Argentina?

We are doing great, especially in economic and trading activities that are one of our main pillars in the Vietnam-Argentina relations. I believe our potential is incredible, and we could go much higher than we are today. Vietnam is the sixth largest trade partner to Argentina, and we are the third largest trade partner to Vietnam among Latin American economies.

We have reached close to a US$5 billion bilateral trade value in 2022. We believe that the two economies can increase that number because both Vietnam and Argentina have a lot to export to each other.

Thank you for your time!