Vietnam, South Africa Seek to Strengthen Parliamentary Cooperation, Strategic Partnership
Cape Town, The Gulf Observer: National Assembly (NA) Vice President Nguyễn Hồng Diên held talks with Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of South Africa Annelie Lotriet in Cape Town on October 1, during his official visit to South Africa, with both sides expressing their commitment to strengthening parliamentary cooperation and advancing bilateral ties.
Diên said he was pleased to lead a high-level Vietnamese NA delegation to Cape Town, South Africa’s legislative capital, and conveyed greetings from NA President Trần Thanh Mẫn to South African Parliament Speaker Thoko Didiza. He also conveyed an invitation for Didiza to visit Việt Nam.
Highlighting the longstanding solidarity and mutual support between the two peoples, Diên said his visit was aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation following the elevation of Việt Nam–South Africa relations to a Strategic Partnership in November 2025.
Lotriet described the Vietnamese delegation’s visit as important for opening new avenues of parliamentary cooperation and generating fresh momentum for broader bilateral relations. She expressed her affection for Việt Nam and called for closer coordination between the two legislatures in developing effective cooperation orientations and strategies.
During the meeting, Diên briefed Lotriet on Việt Nam’s socio-economic development, noting that after four decades of Đổi mới (Renewal), the country had achieved major historic progress. He said Việt Nam’s economy had surpassed US$515 billion and recorded growth of 8.18 per cent in the first six months of 2026.
He said Việt Nam was entering a new phase of development focused on comprehensive institutional reforms, stronger implementation capacity and greater reliance on science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, the green transition and the circular economy.
According to Diên, Việt Nam aims to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income status by 2030, and a developed, high-income country by 2045.
The two sides agreed to make parliamentary cooperation an important pillar of bilateral relations, with priorities including high-level and committee-level delegation exchanges, the early signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two legislatures, and closer coordination at international and multilateral parliamentary forums.
The Vietnamese side also proposed that the South African Parliament encourage the government to facilitate greater market access for Vietnamese products and create favourable conditions for major Vietnamese enterprises seeking to invest and cooperate in promising sectors, including electronics, telecommunications, minerals, renewable energy, textiles and supporting industries.
The discussions also covered emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and innovation.
Diên expressed hope that South Africa would continue to support the Vietnamese community in the country and provide favourable conditions for its members to live and work stably while serving as a bridge of friendship between the two peoples.
He also invited Lotriet to pay an official visit to Việt Nam at an early date. She accepted the invitation.
In an interview with Vietnam News Agency correspondents in South Africa, Lotriet highlighted Việt Nam’s potential role as a strategic gateway for South Africa to access Asian markets.
She said the two parliaments had significant potential to share knowledge and expertise and agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation in legislative work, particularly in developing legal frameworks suited to the digital era.
Lotriet further underscored the importance of mutual support at multilateral forums, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), while noting the complementary nature of the two countries’ regional integration strategies.
She said that just as South Africa could serve as a gateway for Việt Nam to access African markets, Việt Nam could serve as a bridge for South Africa to reach Asian markets.
Lotriet expressed confidence that this strategic linkage would continue to expand and generate practical benefits for both countries.
