Lula's second visit to Vietnam as Brazilian president will take place as Vietnam faces pressure from the Trump administration to reduce its large trade surplus and increase imports from the United States.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will visit Vietnam next week, bringing with him a business delegation that includes executives from aircraft manufacturer Embraer and food giant JBS, who are in talks for potential deals in the Southeast Asian country, according to sources.

Lula's second visit to Vietnam as president will take place as Vietnam faces pressure from the Trump administration to reduce its large trade surplus and increase imports from the United States, including agricultural products such as soybeans, of which Brazil is one of the country's main exporters.

According to the Brazilian government, Lula will travel to Vietnam from March 27 to 29, after visiting Japan.

Lula is expected to invite Vietnam to attend a BRICS summit in Brazil in July, a Brazilian official said, noting that Vietnam was invited to become a BRICS partner last year but has so far taken no official position on the matter.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment. The Brazilian Embassy in Vietnam declined to comment.

The two countries are expected to agree on an action plan on defense, agriculture, and energy, which could boost cooperation on ethanol, a fuel of which Brazil is one of the world's leading producers, the Brazilian official said.

Brazil also wants to increase exports to Vietnam and is asking Hanoi to authorize imports of its beef, the official said, confirming earlier reports in Vietnamese state media.

BUSINESS TALKS

Opening the Vietnamese market to Brazilian beef is a precondition for an investment that Brazilian food giant JBS is considering in Vietnam, three people briefed on the talks, including the Brazilian official, told Reuters .

The company is exploring building a meat processing center in northern Vietnam, its first plant in Asia, with a potential investment of tens of millions of dollars, said the three people, who did not want to be identified because the information was not public.

JBS declined to comment.

Separately, Embraer is also in talks for the possible sale of ten E190 narrow-body aircraft to flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, the Brazilian official said.

It is also seeking to sell C-390 military transport aircraft, with a possible demonstration flight in Vietnam in May, the official and an industry source said.

Embraer declined to comment. Vietnam Airlines did not respond to a request for comment.

Hanoi is in talks with the United States to purchase Lockheed Martin-made C-130 military transport aircraft.

Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world, and local airlines have long sought to expand their fleets.

In recent days, senior executives from aviation giants Airbus and Boeing have met with Vietnamese officials, according to state media and an internal agenda seen by Reuters . Vietnam is also working on approval for China's COMAC aircraft.