Vietnam-South Africa Joint Statement

Photo caption — President Luong Cuong and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa meet 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 is pleased to present the full text:

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

2. During the visit, the South African President held talks with President Luong Cuong, and 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 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 deepen political trust and expand the scope and level of cooperation in a more comprehensive, substantive, and effective manner across all fields. The two leaders agreed on the direction of upgrading bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership and completing the procedures for this upgrade in 2025.

5. Building on the foundation of excellent bilateral relations, both sides agreed to maintain regular exchanges of high-level visits and visits at all levels. The two leaders highly appreciated the diverse cooperation mechanisms between the two countries and committed to strengthening bilateral dialogue within mechanisms such as the Vietnam-South Africa Intergovernmental Partnership Forum, the Political Consultations between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Joint Trade Committee, and the Defence Dialogue.

6. The two leaders reaffirmed that economic cooperation is a crucial pillar of bilateral cooperation. Both sides agreed to promote cooperation in all areas such as politics, diplomacy, defense, security, law and justice, bilateral trade and investment, science, technology, digital transformation, agriculture, environment, climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, wildlife protection, businesses, minerals, education, training, culture, and tourism, while jointly enhancing the gateway roles of both countries in each region through the network of ASEAN and regional free trade agreements.
the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), as well as other regional free trade agreements.

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

8. The two leaders highly appreciated the results of the Vietnam-South Africa Economic Forum held during the visit, attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa and high-ranking leaders, leaders of ministries and sectors, as well as the business communities of both countries. The Forum provided an opportunity for businesses from both countries to seek cooperation opportunities and exploit the gateway advantages of Vietnam and South Africa.

9. Both sides noted many similarities in their worldviews and expressed support for Southern Hemisphere countries having 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 reforms to a fair and effective global governance system, and fostering 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 its G20 chairmanship in 2025 and expressed confidence that South Africa will continue to successfully host the G20 summit in November 2025 and successfully assume the chairmanship 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 hosting the fourth Partnership for Green Growth and Global Goals (P4G) Summit in April 2025 and hosting the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention) in October 2025.

12. The two leaders expressed support for the central role of the African Union and ASEAN in regional affairs and agreed to seek ways to enhance cooperation between countries in Asia and Africa, including South-South cooperation. Vietnam reaffirmed its support for South Africa in strengthening cooperation with ASEAN and its member states, particularly in areas of mutual interest, consistent with each country's potential and strengths. South Africa expressed its support for Vietnam in strengthening 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 position, which includes the peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of the United Nations Charter and international law, particularly 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 finalizing negotiations on several important documents between the two countries. Both sides agreed to aim for the signing of these documents in 2025 to demonstrate their shared commitment to promoting cooperation.

15. President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked President Luong Cuong and other senior Vietnamese leaders for the thoughtful and respectful reception, which demonstrated the importance of the Vietnam-South Africa Partnership for Cooperation and Development and 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 time convenient for both sides. President Luong Cuong expressed his sincere gratitude and requested that relevant agencies of both countries arrange the visit through diplomatic channels.

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