President Luong Cuong presided over the welcoming ceremony for the President of South Africa.

The plane carrying South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa and a high-ranking South African delegation arrived in Hanoi this afternoon.

This is the first visit by a South African President in 18 years, an important milestone in the relationship between the two countries, following the historic phone call between General Secretary To Lam and President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa last April.

2310 president of south africa 7.jpg — President Luong Cuong and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa with children in Hanoi. Photo: VNA

The visit not only strengthens the traditional friendship but also opens up opportunities for the two countries' leaders to comprehensively assess the cooperative relationship, orientate the promotion of economic, trade and investment cooperation, and exploit new potentials, towards a more comprehensive and deeper relationship in the future.

Mr. Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa visited Vietnam 9 years ago as Vice President.

This afternoon, the President of South Africa attended a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace chaired by President Luong Cuong.

The motorcade escorting the President entered the Presidential Palace, President Luong Cuong was present on the red carpet to warmly welcome him. Afterwards, the capital's children presented the South African President with a bouquet of fresh flowers.

President Luong Cuong and President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa review the honor guard of the Vietnam People's Army.

President Luong Cuong welcomes South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa

To the sound of welcoming music, President Luong Cuong and President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa walked along the red carpet and onto the podium. The military band played the national anthems of the two countries.

After listening to the national anthems of both countries, the two leaders left the podium, bowed to the military flag and inspected the Guard of Honor of the Vietnam People's Army. Next, President Luong Cuong and the President of South Africa introduced the delegations of the two countries attending the welcoming ceremony.

The two leaders then took photos together and held high-level talks.

Before the welcoming ceremony, the South African President laid a wreath, visited President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and offered incense to commemorate the heroic martyrs.

The South African President is expected to meet with key Vietnamese leaders, receive leaders of several Vietnamese corporations and have other important activities.

President Luong Cuong and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa

On October 22, at a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Le Anh Tuan, South African Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ronald Lamola affirmed that the visit of the South African President is of great significance in strengthening bilateral relations, especially in areas such as trade, investment, mineral cooperation as well as cooperation between law enforcement agencies.

Minister Ronald Lamola emphasized that the two sides need to promote export cooperation, connect businesses, and increase partner diversification, and the two countries' Foreign Ministries need to coordinate closely to carry out these tasks.

Mr. Ronald Lamola said that the visit of the South African President and the participation of high-ranking Vietnamese leaders in the G20 summit in South Africa this coming November are clear evidence of the importance of high-level delegation exchanges.

President Luong Cuong and President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa held talks, assessed the results of cooperation between the two countries in recent times and proposed directions for cooperation in the future.

President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa's visit will be an important milestone in bilateral relations.

Since establishing diplomatic relations on December 22, 1993, the two countries have continuously cultivated friendly relations, achieving remarkable achievements in many fields.

As leading partners in Southeast Asia and Africa, South Africa is currently the only African country with which Vietnam has established a Partnership for Cooperation and Development.

Economic cooperation between the two countries has achieved remarkable results, with trade turnover increasing from 192 million USD in 2007 to nearly 1.8 billion USD in 2024, remaining stable even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Vietnam exports to South Africa key products such as electronics, phones, textiles, footwear, agricultural products (coffee, rice, cashew nuts, pepper), while importing from South Africa minerals, coal, fruits, wood and chemicals.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chu-tich-nuoc-luong-cuong-chu-tri-le-don-tong-thong-nam-phi-2455605.html