HANOI: Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that Vietnam may buy as many as 50 planes from Embraer, the Brazilian planemaker, and that another Brazilian company may invest US$100 million in a meat-processing plant in the Asian country, as he prepared to conclude his state visit to Hanoi, where he met President Luong Cuong.
Last week, sources told Reuters that Brazilian meatpacker JBS was considering building such a plant in Vietnam, which would be its first in Asia. The company did not immediately comment on Lula’s remarks and it is unclear if the US$100-million investment refers to its plans.
A Brazilian official also told Reuters last week that Embraer was in talks about the possible sale of 10 E190 narrow-body jets to Vietnam Airlines. On Friday, the Brazilian president said he was aware that flagship carrier Vietnam Airlines was “positively assessing Embraer’s offer” for regional jets.