Vietnam-South Africa Joint Statement

Photo caption — President Luong Cuong and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa met with the press to announce the results of their talks. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA

On this occasion, the two sides issued a Joint Statement. VNA respectfully introduces the full text:

1. At the invitation of President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Luong Cuong, President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa paid a state visit to Vietnam from October 23-24, 2025.

2. During the visit, the South African President held talks with President Luong Cuong, met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man .

3. In a warm and friendly atmosphere, President Luong Cuong and President Cyril Ramaphosa highly appreciated the traditional friendship and historical ties between Vietnam and South Africa. The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the positive development of bilateral relations since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1993 and the Partnership for Cooperation and Development in 2004.

4. The two leaders expressed their commitment to further deepening political trust and expanding the scale and level of cooperation in a more comprehensive, substantive and effective manner in all areas. The two leaders agreed on the orientation of upgrading the bilateral relationship to the level of Strategic Partnership and completing the procedures for upgrading the relationship in 2025.

5. On the basis of the good bilateral relations, the two sides agreed to maintain regular exchanges of high-level visits at all levels. The two leaders highly appreciated the diverse cooperation mechanisms between the two countries and committed to enhancing bilateral dialogue at mechanisms such as the Vietnam - South Africa Intergovernmental Partnership Forum, Political Consultation between the two Foreign Ministries, the Joint Trade Committee, and the Defense Dialogue.

6. The two leaders reaffirmed that economic cooperation is an important pillar of bilateral cooperation. The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in all areas such as politics, diplomacy, defense, security, law and justice, two-way trade and investment, science, technology, digital transformation, agriculture, environment, climate change response, biodiversity conservation, wildlife protection, enterprises, minerals, education, training, culture, tourism, and at the same time promote the role of the two countries as gateways in each region, through the network of free trade agreements of ASEAN and the ASEAN Free Trade Area.
the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as well as other regional free trade agreements.

7. Building on the momentum of developing relations and the results achieved by both sides at the 6th Meeting of the Vietnam - South Africa Intergovernmental Partnership Forum in December 2024, to further expand and deepen the potential for cooperation, the two leaders welcomed Vietnam's hosting of the 7th Meeting of the Vietnam - South Africa Intergovernmental Partnership Forum in 2026 as an important mechanism to further strengthen dialogue and strategic cooperation between the two countries.

8. The two leaders highly appreciated the results of the Vietnam - South Africa Economic Forum held on the occasion of the visit with the participation of President Cyril Ramaphosa and senior leaders, leaders of ministries, sectors as well as the business community of the two countries. The Forum is an opportunity for businesses of the two countries to seek cooperation opportunities to exploit the gateway advantages of Vietnam and South Africa.

9. The two sides noted many similarities in their world visions and expressed support for countries in the Global South to have a greater voice and role in international relations. The two leaders reaffirmed their national commitment to multilateralism, full respect for the United Nations Charter and international law, promoting processes of reform of the global governance system that are fair and effective, promoting the realization of aspirations and strengthening the role of developing countries.

10. President Luong Cuong congratulated South Africa on successfully hosting the Conferences within the framework of the G20 Presidency in 2025 and believed that South Africa would continue to successfully host the G20 Summit in November 2025 and successfully assume the role of Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2026.

11. South Africa highly appreciates Vietnam's strong commitment to promoting multilateral cooperation and its contributions to global efforts on sustainable development, as demonstrated by its hosting of the Fourth Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) Summit in April 2025 and its hosting of the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention) in October 2025.

12. The two leaders expressed their support for the central role of the African Union and ASEAN in regional issues and agreed to seek ways to enhance cooperation between countries in Asia and Africa and South-South cooperation. Vietnam reaffirmed its support for South Africa in strengthening cooperation with ASEAN and its member states, especially in areas of mutual interest, in line with the potential and strengths of each country. South Africa expressed its support for Vietnam in enhancing cooperation and making practical contributions to the implementation of the African Union's Agenda 2063.

13. South Africa affirms its respect for ASEAN's principled stance, including the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of the United Nations Charter and international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other relevant treaties.

14. The two leaders welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral cooperation and noted the progress in completing negotiations on a number of important documents between the two countries. The two sides agreed to set a target of signing these documents in 2025 to demonstrate their shared commitment to promoting cooperation.

15. President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked President Luong Cuong and senior leaders of Vietnam for their thoughtful and respectful reception, which demonstrated the importance of the Vietnam-South Africa Partnership for Cooperation and Development as well as the special affection between the leaders and people of the two countries.

16. President Cyril Ramaphosa cordially invited President Luong Cuong and other senior Vietnamese leaders to visit South Africa at a mutually convenient time. President Luong Cuong cordially thanked them and suggested that the relevant agencies of both countries arrange the visit through diplomatic channels.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/tuyen-bo-chung-viet-namnam-phi-20251024182038155.htm