Chilean ambassador Sergio Narea wrote to Việt Nam News on Chile's Independence Day (September 18)

This September 18, Chile commemorates the 213th anniversary of its independence, a day Chileans celebrate every year.

Traditions blend with new trends as the Chilean spirit appears at its best. Colourful costumes, cultural expressions and cheerful music add the right atmosphere to public parties all over the country that lure families to enjoy our popular gastronomy while watching folklore shows. The festivities extend for a couple of days, which gives people a chance to have a good time in afonda or ramada (informal folklore restaurants), where people can listen and dance the national cueca. During the celebrations, nobody goes back home without having tried empanadas (meat pie), barbeque, wine, and chicha (a beverage made of apples or grapes) along with other popular food and drinks.

Cueca is the national dance of Chile. Photo Courtesy of the embassy

Our communities abroad are also fond of celebrating the national day proudly, and we send a fraternal greeting to all Chileans, including men and women living today in Việt Nam.

This is also an appropriate time to highlight the relations between Chile and Viet Nam. The historical bonds between our countries have been driven by early and visionary decisions made by our leaders. Mutual respect and friendship continue to grow since the historic encounter of Dr. Salvador Allende and President Hồ Chí Minh in May 1969.

In March 1971, Chile became the second Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam. Since 1990, we have witnessed a fluid exchange of visits by numerous public figures. Three Chilean presidents have visited Việt Nam so far, and when President Nguyễn Minh Triết visited Chile in 2007 our, relations were upgraded to “Comprehensive Partners”.

Since the Free Trade Agreement came into force in 2014, our bilateral trade has grown dramatically, up to US$1.8 billion in 2022, with a huge surplus (76%) for Việt Nam. Between 2010 and 2022, Chile doubled its exports by value while Việt Nam multiplied them by 13. Currently, Chile is Việt Nam's fourth largest trading partner from Latin America and Việt Nam is Chile's largest trading partner from ASEAN. We are confident that our bilateral trade will increase in amount and diversify of products. On February 22 of this year, Chile became a full member of the CPTPP, expanding horizons of opportunities and challenges.

As reliable partners we are permanently working for more bilateral and multilateral cooperation, noticeably in regional fora such as APEC, as well as in ASEAN, of which Chile is one of its Dialogue Partners. Moreover, Chile and Việt Nam are members of the UN Human Rights Council and look for ways for meaningful cooperation in this area, as well as ways to boost efforts for the empowerment of women in society.

Santiago, the capital of Chile, is surrounded by the impressive Andean mountains. Photo Courtesy of the embassy

Sustainability, decarbonisation of the economy, energy transition, and protection of the oceans can also be counted as common concerns to which we are committed. In the area of green energy, our country hopes to become a new global leading force in the field of green hydrogen based on competitive prices. Furthermore, Chile also hopes to contribute to the electromobility industry with its lithium exports, and its large reserves of this mineral. We hope the Vietnamese electromobility industry positively assesses Chilean advantages and investment opportunities in these areas.

To conclude, the 213th anniversary commemoration gives us the opportunity to send warm greetings to the people of Việt Nam, and to express our faith in a promising future and our trust in our solid bilateral friendship. VNS