Making parliamentary cooperation a pillar of Vietnam - South Africa bilateral relations

Photo caption — National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man met with South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa during his state visit to Vietnam. Photo: Doan Tan/VNA

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man was delighted to welcome South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa and the high-ranking South African delegation on a state visit to Vietnam; he said the visit would be an important milestone, opening a new phase in Vietnam-South Africa relations, deepening political trust, enhancing practical and long-term cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples. The National Assembly Chairman congratulated President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa on his successful meetings and talks with President Luong Cuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and expressed his emotion when learning that the South African President had visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and visited the family of General Vo Nguyen Giap.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man highly appreciated the outstanding achievements that the South African people have made in the process of building a harmonious, equitable, developed and prosperous country; expressed his belief that under the leadership of President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa and the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa will continue to affirm its role as a leading economy and an important voice in the continent as well as in the international arena. The National Assembly Chairman congratulated South Africa, in its role as G20 Chair, for successfully organizing the 11th G20 Parliamentary Forum in the legislative capital of Cape Town in early October, contributing to promoting inter-parliamentary cooperation and dialogue for the goal of sustainable development and narrowing the development gap between countries.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that the Vietnamese National Assembly always attaches importance to and wishes to further promote the friendship and multifaceted cooperation with South Africa, making parliamentary cooperation an important and key pillar of bilateral relations; suggested that the two sides continue to increase the exchange of parliamentary delegations, especially the specialized committees of the two countries' National Assemblies, exchange legislative experts and suggested that the two sides soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two National Assemblies.

The President of the National Assembly respectfully invited the South African Parliament to send representatives to participate in legislative seminars organized by the Vietnamese National Assembly in the coming time and hoped that the cooperation between the two National Assemblies would be a model for parliaments of the Southern Hemisphere to jointly deal with global challenges. On this occasion, the President of the National Assembly suggested that the two Parliaments continue to strengthen coordination, support each other and organize bilateral meetings on the sidelines of multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AIPA) Inter-Parliamentary Assembly and groups of Southern Hemisphere parliaments to jointly protect the interests of developing countries.

South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa thanked National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Vietnamese leaders for the warm welcome given to the high-ranking South African delegation, and expressed his honor to visit the Vietnamese National Assembly during the visit.

Recalling the outstanding results of the visit and working session with the South African Parliament by Vice President of the National Assembly of Vietnam Vu Hong Thanh in July 2025 and the recent exchange activities between the two legislative bodies, the President of South Africa expressed his delight at the good development of the two countries' parliamentary relations, saying that promoting parliamentary cooperation is an important factor in sharing experiences and contributing to building a rule-of-law state in each country.

The South African President affirmed his determination to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including cooperation between parliamentary bodies, commensurate with the good political relations and positions of the two countries; saying that when the two countries officially upgrade their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, the role of the two countries' legislative bodies is essential to ensure that cooperation agreements will be implemented.

Within the framework of the working program with the Vietnamese National Assembly, the President of South Africa attended the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly and visited the National Assembly Museum.