Vietnam-south Africa Relations Reach A Historic Milestone With High-level State Visit, Aiming To Deepen Diplomatic And Economic Ties For Future Growth

Published on October 23, 2025

Vietnam and South Africa person reached a historical milestone successful their bilateral relations pinch nan caller high-level authorities visit, marking a caller section successful their negotiated and economical partnership. This sojourn underscores some nations’ committedness to strengthening ties and exploring caller avenues for cooperation. With an accent connected fostering communal growth, nan leaders of some countries are focused connected deepening trade, investment, and taste exchanges, positioning their narration arsenic a cardinal driver of location and world development. The sojourn is poised to pave nan measurement for a early of shared prosperity and collaboration successful various sectors, including commerce, technology, and sustainable development.

At nan invitation of Vietnam’s President, South African President is group to sojourn Vietnam connected October 23-24, marking nan first sojourn by a South African caput of authorities to nan state successful astir 2 decades. This historical authorities sojourn is poised to elevate bilateral relations to a caller level, strengthening practice crossed various sectors and paving nan measurement for deeper, much meaningful collaboration betwixt nan 2 nations.

Vietnam and South Africa officially established negotiated relations connected December 22, 1993, though their ties day backmost to nan 1960s. During that period, nan Communist Party of Vietnam and nan African National Congress (ANC) forged a beardown relationship, offering communal support successful their shared struggles against colonialism and nan conflict for nationalist independence. This early solidarity laid nan instauration for nan beardown business that some countries bask today.

Over nan past 3 decades, nan bilateral narration has grown substantially, pinch affirmative developments crossed various channels, including Party, State, and people-to-people exchanges. South Africa was nan first African state pinch which Vietnam established a business for practice and development, which later evolved into a broad partnership. This milestone reflects nan deepening ties betwixt nan 2 nations and their shared committedness to strengthening their cooperation.

The 2 countries person maintained an progressive governmental and negotiated speech done regular high-level visits and exchanges. The collaboration spans respective cardinal sectors, including political, economic, and taste relations, and has been sustained done exchanges astatine nan Party, State, parliamentary, ministerial, and section authorities levels. In summation to charismatic visits, people-to-people exchanges person played a important domiciled successful fostering knowing and solidarity betwixt nan 2 nations. These exchanges person helped build communal respect and a beardown consciousness of friendship, forming nan backbone of nan bilateral relationship.

Vietnam and South Africa run a assortment of bilateral practice mechanisms, including an inter-governmental business forum, governmental consultations betwixt overseas ministries, a associated waste and acquisition committee, and a defense argumentation dialogue. These platforms supply an basal model for continued collaboration and communal support successful various fields. Furthermore, nan narration has been enhanced done nan improvement of cooperative ties betwixt awesome Vietnamese cities specified arsenic Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Phong, and their counterparts successful South Africa. These local-level connections thief fortify nan enslaved betwixt nan 2 nations and facilitate nan speech of ideas, resources, and expertise astatine nan grassroots level.

Both nations person worked together to support each different successful world forums and multilateral organizations. South Africa has been a patient protagonist of Vietnam’s candidacies for cardinal positions wrong world institutions. Most notably, South Africa supported Vietnam’s bid to go a non-permanent personnel of nan UN Security Council for nan 2020-2021 term, arsenic good arsenic its rank connected nan UN Human Rights Council (2023-2025) and nan World Heritage Committee (2023-2027). These endorsements item nan beardown negotiated relations betwixt nan 2 countries and their shared committedness to world bid and cooperation.

The economical narration betwixt Vietnam and South Africa has seen singular maturation successful caller years. South Africa has go Vietnam’s starring waste and acquisition and export partner successful Africa, pinch bilateral waste and acquisition expanding importantly from USD 192 cardinal successful 2007 to USD 1.72 cardinal successful 2024. This maturation reflects nan expanding economical ties betwixt nan 2 countries and their expanding communal waste and acquisition interests.

Vietnam’s superior exports to South Africa see electronics, mobile phones and components, textiles, footwear, and cultivation products. In turn, Vietnam imports a scope of equipment from South Africa, including minerals—particularly coal—as good arsenic fruits, timber, and chemicals. This speech of equipment has played a important domiciled successful driving nan bilateral waste and acquisition narration forward, benefiting some nations economically.

In position of investment, South Africa has made notable strides successful Vietnam. As of July 2025, South Africa had 20 valid finance projects successful Vietnam, pinch a full registered superior of USD 0.88 million. Although nan standard of South African finance successful Vietnam is comparatively modest, it represents a increasing liking successful nan Vietnamese market. South Africa ranks 109th retired of 151 countries and territories investing successful Vietnam. On nan different hand, Vietnam has made important investments successful South Africa, pinch 4 projects totaling USD 8.86 cardinal successful registered capital. This makes South Africa nan 45th-largest recipient of Vietnamese finance retired of 84 countries and territories.

Both nations spot sizeable imaginable for further practice successful respective cardinal sectors. Renewable energy, greenish energy, and ambiance finance are areas wherever some countries tin activity together to reside world challenges. The increasing value of e-commerce, banking and finance, subject and technology, innovation, and tourism besides offers opportunities for collaboration. These sectors are expected to play a captious domiciled successful nan early improvement of some countries, and their cooperative efforts successful these areas could output important benefits for some economies.

Vietnam’s beingness successful South Africa is comparatively small, pinch an estimated 200 Vietnamese nationals surviving and studying successful respective awesome cities. This mini but vibrant organization contributes to strengthening nan taste and economical ties betwixt nan 2 nations, while besides promoting greater communal knowing betwixt their peoples.

As nan South African President’s authorities sojourn approaches, it is clear that nan business betwixt Vietnam and South Africa is poised to participate a caller phase. The sojourn is expected to consequence successful nan signing of cardinal agreements and nan motorboat of caller initiatives aimed astatine furthering bilateral cooperation. With some nations committed to expanding their ties, location is beardown imaginable for continued maturation successful trade, investment, and taste exchange, which will lend to nan communal prosperity of some countries.

Vietnam and South Africa person reached a historical milestone pinch a high-level authorities sojourn aimed astatine strengthening negotiated and economical ties. This sojourn lays nan instauration for early maturation done enhanced trade, investment, and practice crossed cardinal sectors.

This authorities sojourn by nan South African President represents not only a historical infinitesimal successful nan bilateral narration but besides an breathtaking opportunity for some countries to research caller avenues of collaboration and deepen their ties successful nan years to come. The imaginable for maturation and practice is vast, and some nations are eager to capitalize connected nan opportunities that dishonesty ahead.