Peruvian Ambassador to Việt Nam, Patricia Ráez Portocarrero. Photos courtesy of the Peru Embassy in Hà Nội

On the occasion of Peru's 204th anniversary of its National Day, the country's Ambassador to Việt Nam, Patricia Ráez Portocarrero, writes to Việt Nam News, looking forward to new spaces of cooperation and dialogue between both countries.

On July 28, Peru celebrates the 204th anniversary and its National Day, commemorating the declaration of independence from Spanish rule by General Jose de San Martin in 1821.

This is an opportunity to share our history, culture and traditions, strengthen ties and open new spaces of cooperation and dialogue with Việt Nam. It is a platform to approach both our countries and peoples.

Recently there have been several high-level meetings in both political and economic areas. In November 2024 there was the official visit of the President of Việt Nam to Peru, Lương Cường, with an important delegation that marked a milestone in our bilateral relations. Also, last March the III Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Affairs and Technical Cooperation took place between Vice Ministers of Peru and Việt Nam, and in June the President of Peru and the Prime Minister of Việt Nam Phạm Minh Chính held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in France.

Both countries have growing economies with a high degree of openness, and we believe in multilateralism, globalisation and respect for International Law. We are part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Also, Peru is an 'ASEAN Development Partner', which demonstrates our commitment to continue strengthening our ties with Southeast Asia to increase the flow of trade and cooperation between Peru and ASEAN member states.

At a commercial level, Peru is Việt Nam's sixth largest trading partner in Latin America and commerce has reached almost US$800 million in 2024, according to Peru's statistics.

Given that both countries are members of the CPTPP, there is much potential to continue growing steadily in this area, as most products are exempt from tariffs. Precisely, one of our goals is to increase Peruvian exports to Việt Nam, in order to have a more balanced trade relationship.

The opening of the Megaport Chancay in Peru last November, has reduced maritime transport time between Peru and Asia from 40 to 25 days, which has increased capacity and efficiency to the exchange of goods and will also create opportunities in the sector of logistical services. The opening of the new Jorge Chavez Airport in Lima has greatly increased the capacity of the previous one both in passengers and cargo.

There is growing interest from Peruvian businessmen to visit Việt Nam and meet with their counterparts. In June we received the second Peruvian trade mission in Hồ Chí Minh City with great success.

Việt Nam is the main Southeast Asian investor in Peru, specifically in the field of telecommunications with Viettel that continues growing their investments in our country, particularly in rural areas.

The ancient archaeological site of Kuelap in Peru belonging to the Chachapoyas civilisation, an indigenous culture that once inhabited the mountainous forests of northern Peru during the pre-Inca period. Kuelap is a stone fortress built between the 6th and 11th centuries.

This year Peru's national day has been celebrated with an agenda of cultural and gastronomic activities.

With regards to culture, the embassy has been presenting in Hà Nội and later in other cities the awarded photo exhibition Shipibo Konibo: Portraits of my blood, by the renowned Peruvian photographer David Díaz. This is an immersion into the intimacy of Diaz's ancestral community in Ucayali, in the jungle of Peru, portraying traditional scenes and the enchantment of nature, showcasing his historical context and ethnic identity.

Moreover, with great success we presented Peru Gastronomic Festival Flavours of Peru – II Edition Asia at the Intercontinental Hotel Westlake, between July 9 to 13, where people enjoyed some traditional dishes of our renowned cuisine that is a fusion of indigenous Incan and colonial Spanish influences, with additions from African, Chinese, Japanese and Italian immigrants. Peru’s restaurant Maido was named the World’s Best Restaurant of 2025, along with three other Peruvian establishments which made the list of the “World's 50 best Restaurants”.

This Gastronomic Festival showcased the richness of Peruvian food through the talent of four distinguished Peruvian chefs leading acclaimed restaurants from across Asia. They came from Hồ Chí Minh, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines especially for this event.

As can be seen, there is a very active exchange and dialogue in different fields and we are looking forward to build stronger relations in the coming years.

I arrived to Việt Nam in May 2024 and it has been an honour to participate in and witness the strengthening of our bilateral ties, get to know this country, its people and culture and reflect that no matter the geographical distance between Peru and Việt Nam there are several similarities creating bonds that we continue cultivating.

As Peru celebrates 204 years of independence, we are confident that Peru and Việt Nam will continue nurturing our fruitful cooperation for the benefit of the people of both nations. VNS