Pedro da Oliveira: From Sao Paulo lecture hall to bridge connecting Vietnam - Brazil

In 1968, at the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), a screening of a film about the Vietnam War opened a turning point in the life of freshman Pedro de Oliveira. From that moment, he began his journey of attachment to a country on the other side of the world. For more than half a century, Pedro de Oliveira has been both a journalist and historian who has diligently researched Vietnam, and a "bridge" that has persistently connected the people of the two countries, contributing to fostering the friendship between Vietnam and Brazil.

Journalist and historian Pedro de Oliveira, Secretary General of the Brazil-Vietnam Friendship and Cooperation Association (ABRAVIET). (Photo: Dieu Huong/VNA)

The beginning of the Vietnam - Brazil relationship

In 1968, in a lecture hall at the University of Sao Paulo, Pedro de Oliveira, then a student just enrolled in university, sat watching documentary films sent by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. On the screen were images of napalm bombs, Agent Orange and the resilient faces of the Vietnamese people.

“At that time, I joined the student movement, in addition to fighting for democracy and against the military dictatorship in Brazil, I also supported peace and opposed the war in Vietnam and Indochina. We organized screenings of those films so that universities and other students could see what was happening in Vietnam and join the movement against war for peace,” he recalled.

The screening was not only an activity in the anti-war, pro-peace movement in Brazil at that time; for Pedro de Oliveira, it was the moment that started a lifelong attachment to a country halfway around the world .

Mr. Pedro de Oliveira received the First Prize in the Book category, Portuguese language, 8th National Award for Foreign Information. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

After graduating, Pedro de Oliveira worked as a journalist and participated in research on history and international politics . Since the 1970s, he began to study Ho Chi Minh's ideology, accessing original documents and meeting historical witnesses. The documents he has studied since 1990 have given him an in-depth view of Vietnam. The result of his many years of research is the book Ho Chi Minh Vida e obra do lisder da lisder da libertação nacional do Vietnã (Ho Chi Minh - The Life and Career of the Leader of the Liberation of the Vietnamese People).

Cover of the book "Ho Chi Minh - The Life and Career of the National Liberation Leader of Vietnam" (Ho Chi Minh - The Life and Career of the Vietnamese National Liberation Leader), Anita Garibaldi Publishing House (Brazil). (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

"Ho Chi Minh - The life and career of the leader who liberated the Vietnamese people" is a collection of articles and speeches by President Ho Chi Minh, along with many documents, images and historical milestones selected by journalist and historian Pedro de Oliveira. The work vividly summarizes the revolutionary activities of President Ho Chi Minh, while helping readers gain a deeper understanding of the political and social thoughts and ideals he pursued.

The book also reviews the milestones in President Ho Chi Minh's life, especially the years he traveled around the world, working as a kitchen assistant on the Amiral Latouche-Tréville, visiting many countries, including Brazil; and the time he lived and worked in the US, France and England.

The work won the First Prize for Printed Book at the 8th National Foreign Information Awards in 2022. The book is currently being translated into Spanish to reach Latin American readers.

In addition, he is also continuing to study Vietnam's socio-economic development model with the desire to apply appropriate experiences to Brazil. Mr. Pedro de Oliveira has visited Vietnam twice. During each trip, he not only sought more research materials, but also directly observed life, met many classes of people and felt the vitality and dynamism of a strongly developing country.

Bridge of friendship

As Secretary General of the Brazil-Vietnam Friendship and Cooperation Association since 2015, journalist and historian Pedro de Oliveira not only writes and conducts research but also carries out many activities to connect the people of the two countries. One of the outstanding results is the Association's coordination in establishing the Brazil-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group, with the participation of parliamentarians from many different parties.

In an interview with a VNA correspondent in South America in July 2025, Mr. Pedro de Oliveira said that in the coming time, the Brazil - Vietnam Friendship and Cooperation Association will have activities to enhance cooperation between Brazilian and Vietnamese legislative bodies to contribute to strengthening bilateral relations.

Mr. Pedro de Oliveira shared stories about the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh at the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil on the occasion of the 133rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2023). (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil)

He also said that the Brazil - Vietnam Friendship and Cooperation Association wishes to expand cooperation in the field of education, including initiatives to connect Brazilian universities with Vietnamese higher education institutions, aiming to build research and exchange programs between the two countries.

He expressed his belief that with the support of friendship organizations, the business community and the people of the two countries, the Vietnam-Brazil relationship will continue to be strengthened and developed comprehensively in many fields.

In an interview with the press on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2025), Mr. Pedro da Oliveira said that Brazil can learn from Vietnam in many areas: building national unity, administrative reform, infrastructure development... He is also interested in multilateral foreign policy; Vietnam's participation in trade agreements such as CPTPP, EVFTA, RCEP and contributions to United Nations peacekeeping activities.

More than half a century since the 1968 screening, journalist and historian Pedro da Oliveira has persisted on his journey of research and connection, with specific contributions from publishing books and publications about Vietnam; promoting educational cooperation and creating a bridge between the Vietnamese and Brazilian people. At nearly 80 years old, he is not only a witness to a historical period but also a person who is directly contributing to new developments in Vietnam - Brazil relations on the people's channel.

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/pedro-da-oliveira-tu-giang-duong-sao-paulo-toi-nhip-cau-gan-ket-viet-nam-brazil-215586.html