The Brazil Vietnam Chamber (BVC) served as an institutional partner in organizing the Brazil Leather Trade Mission to Vietnam 2026, concluded on July 7 after six days of activities in Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ho Chi Minh City. The mission, under the theme “Where Brazilian Leather Meets Vietnamese Craftsmanship,” brought together a delegation of six leading Brazilian tanneries, including the world’s largest leather processor, and involved the direct participation of the Chamber alongside the Brazilian Leather Industries Center (CICB), through the Brazilian Leather project, and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). The mission was led by BVC’s Executive President, Dionathan Santos, and Vice President, Natã Oliveira, who guided the delegation through every stage of the agenda.
BVC’s role in the mission
As a bilateral institution with its own structure in Vietnam, BVC helped facilitate direct contact between the Brazilian tanneries and the Vietnamese market, supporting two sector seminars, one in Hanoi at the Grand Mercure on July 2 and another in Ho Chi Minh City at The Reverie Saigon on July 6, along with direct B2B rounds between Brazilian suppliers and Vietnamese manufacturers. The Chamber’s involvement also extended to the more than ten visits the delegation made to factories, importers and associations across the country’s two main production regions.
BVC’s institutional presence helped secure the support of Vietnamese organizations for the mission, including the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO), the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA) and the Vietnam Brazil Friendship and Cooperation Association, as well as the Embassy of Brazil in Vietnam and Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, which also lent their support to the initiative.
Vietnam is now the fourth largest market for Brazilian leather
The result that best captures the mission’s impact is the growth in Vietnamese imports of Brazilian leather, which rose nearly 70% in twelve months, making Vietnam the fourth largest market for the product worldwide. This growth confirms a trend BVC has followed closely since the Chamber began acting as a bridge between the two countries, during a period when Vietnam was already among the fastest growing destinations in value for Brazilian leather exports. Part of this opening resulted from the Vietnamese government’s decision to eliminate the requirement for an International Health Certificate for Brazilian leather, a measure that simplified the export process and expanded the space for BVC to work with companies in the sector interested in the Vietnamese market.
Continuity of institutional work
The July mission adds to a track record of initiatives through which BVC has connected Brazilian exporters with Vietnamese manufacturers and associations, moving beyond one-off trade fair participation to build longer lasting commercial relationships. At the close of the mission, organizers formally thanked CICB and Apex-Brasil for their partnership, as well as all the Vietnamese organizations and companies that welcomed the delegation, signaling that this joint work is set to continue.
Next steps
With a new edition already planned for 2027, the Brazil Vietnam Chamber reaffirms its role as an institutional link between Brazil’s leather sector and the Vietnamese market, work that has helped elevate Vietnam, in just a few years, from an emerging partner to one of the four largest buyers of Brazilian leather in the world.
