Panama President visits Vietnam to strengthen maritime and trade ties

Panama-Vietnam relations maritime cooperation José Raúl Mulino To Lam trade agreements

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino is conducting a three-day official visit to Vietnam, marking the first high-level visit by a Panamanian head of state in 14 years. During the visit, leaders To Lam and Mulino held talks in Hanoi to strengthen bilateral ties and explore cooperation in sectors including agriculture, maritime affairs, aviation, tourism, and digital transformation.

Key outcomes of the visit include the signing of nine cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding. These cover areas such as maritime transport, transnational crime prevention, customs, and academic exchanges between maritime universities. To enhance maritime services, Panama announced that Segumar, a technical division of the Panama Maritime Authority, will open an office in Ho Chi Minh City to better serve the 325 Panamanian-flagged vessels in Vietnam and the more than 25,000 Vietnamese sailors working on the Panamanian registry.

Economic discussions also focused on leveraging Panama as a logistics gateway for Vietnamese goods into Latin America and Vietnam as a bridge to ASEAN. Panama is currently in negotiations with Vingroup and VinFast to potentially establish a regional distribution center within a Panamanian free zone. Two-way trade between the two nations reached approximately US$478.1 million in 2025.

Entities

José Raúl Mulino · Maricel Cohen de Mulino · Panama · Panama Canal · Panama Maritime Authority · Segumar · Temple of Literature · To Lam · Vietnam

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] President Mulino announced that Segumar, a technical service division of the Panama Maritime Authority, will open an office in Ho Chi Minh City. centroamerica360.com · www.prensa-latina.cu
[● 2 SOURCES] Vietnam ranks sixth among users of the Panama ship registry, with 325 vessels. centroamerica360.com · www.prensa-latina.cu
[● 4 SOURCES] The visit by President Mulino is the first high-level visit by a Panamanian head of state to Vietnam in 14 years. en.baochinhphu.vn · mekongasean.vn · nhandan.vn · en.vietnamplus.vn
[● 5 SOURCES] Panama and Vietnam are set to sign nine cooperation agreements covering sectors such as agriculture, maritime, tourism, aviation, and customs. centroamerica360.com · giaoducthoidai.vn · mire.gob.pa · www.panamaamerica.com.pa · www.prensa-latina.cu
[● 2 SOURCES] The bilateral cooperation includes a maritime transport agreement and a transnational crime prevention agreement. giaoducthoidai.vn · baochinhphu.vn
[● 2 SOURCES] Two-way trade between Vietnam and Panama reached US$478.1 million in 2025. en.baochinhphu.vn · thoibaotaichinhvietnam.vn
[○ 1 SOURCE] Panama is negotiating with Vingroup and VinFast to establish a regional distribution center in a Panamanian free zone. centroamerica360.com
[● 2 SOURCES] More than 25,000 Vietnamese sailors work on ships flying the Panamanian flag. centroamerica360.com · www.prensa-latina.cu