Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino Visits Vietnam to Boost Trade
President José Raúl Mulino is conducting the first Panamanian head-of-state visit to Vietnam in 14 years to expand maritime logistics, agribusiness, and digital cooperation.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino is conducting an official visit to Vietnam from October 5-8, marking the first visit by a Panamanian president to the country in nearly 15 years. The visit aims to advance multi-faceted cooperation across trade, investment, and maritime affairs, leveraging Panama's strategic financial and maritime hubs to create trade gateways between Latin America and Southeast Asia.
During talks in Hanoi on October 6, President Mulino and Vietnamese President To Lam agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in agriculture, telecommunications, infrastructure, port logistics, and digital transformation. The leaders also committed to increasing high-level delegation exchanges and collaborating on security and the combat of transnational crime. President Mulino invited President To Lam to conduct a reciprocal state visit to Panama.
On October 7, President Mulino attended the Vietnam–Panama Business Forum in Hanoi, meeting with over 100 Vietnamese business leaders to discuss agribusiness exports and the strategic role of the Panama Canal. As part of the forum, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate business delegations and promote investment. This economic push follows a period of growth in bilateral trade, which rose 19.2 percent to approximately US$478 million in 2025.
