Hanoi (VNA) – State President Luong Cuong's state visit to the Republic of Angola from August 6 – 9 is expected to further foster bilateral cooperation and open up a new stage of development in Vietnam – Angola relations.
Accompanied by his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, President Cuong’s visit is the highest-level trip by a key leader of Vietnam after 17 years. It takes place at a time as the two nations are preparing for the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties (November 12, 1975 – 2025)
50 years of growing friendship and cooperation
Vietnam was the second country in the world to establish diplomatic relations with Angola, just one day after the African nation declared independence on November 11, 1975. Despite their geographical distance, Vietnam and Angola have built and nurtured a close and effective partnership over the past five decades, bolstered by their shared struggles for national independence and reinforced through sustained political trust and collaboration across various fields.
The two countries have enjoyed warm and longstanding cooperation through party, government, parliamentary, and people-to-people channels. They have also provided mutual support throughout their respective national development journeys, as well as in multilateral forums, particularly within the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Regular exchanges and meetings, especially at the high levels, have helped to deepen mutual understanding, strengthen political trust, and establish a shared strategic vision for the bilateral relations.
For the Vietnamese side, notable visits include those by General Vo Nguyen Giap (1980), State President Tran Duc Luong (2002), Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh (2008), Politburo member and Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Truong Tan Sang (2009), and Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam (2023). Vietnam also sent delegations to major events in Angola, including the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (2023) and several senior-level visits throughout 2024.
Angola’s significant visits to Vietnam include those by Agostinho Neto, President of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) (1971) (who later became Angola’s first President), National Assembly President Roberto de Almeida (2004), and Vice President Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos (2012).
These visits have reflected the growing political trust between the two nations and continued to lay a strong foundation for the bilateral ties.
Expanding cooperation in trade, investment, and development
The Vietnam – Angola Intergovernmental Committee remains a key mechanism for bilateral cooperation, with its 7th meeting held in March 2024 in Luanda.
Angola recognised Vietnam’s full market economy status in 2008. Although bilateral trade remains modest, it is on an upward trajectory. Trade between the two countries reached nearly 250 million USD, with Vietnam exporting rice, garments, coffee, confectionery, and cereal products, while importing wood products and liquefied gas from Angola.
As of December 2024, Angola had four investment projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of 118.4 million USD, while Vietnam had four projects in Angola worth nearly 3 million USD. In June 2024, Xuan Thien Group received long-term investment licences from the Angolan Government for large-scale energy, mining, and agriculture projects.
Angola is home to the largest Vietnamese community in Africa, with approximately 6,000 people who have contributed to local economic and social development. Vietnamese businesses have shown increasing interest in Angola, particularly in the fields of oil and gas, construction, consumer goods, and agriculture. Angolan enterprises have also expressed their interest in cooperation with Vietnam in various fields such as telecommunications and high-tech agriculture.
Healthcare and education remain central pillars of bilateral cooperation. Since the 1980s, Vietnam has sent professionals to Angola, where their expertise and dedication have earned widespread appreciation from local authorities and communities. According to Angolan Ambassador to Vietnam Fernando Miguel, Vietnamese doctors and teachers have left a lasting impression thanks to their high professional standards and strong sense of responsibility.
In Luanda, a major avenue named after President Ho Chi Minh stretches 3.4 kilometres and is home to several important government and party offices. The Vietnamese community in Angola was officially recognised in 2016, and the Vietnam Business Association in Angola was established in June 2024.
The achievements to date stand as a vivid testimony to the close-knit relationship between Angola and Vietnam, not only in political and diplomatic spheres but also across concrete areas of cooperation, aimed at sustainable and mutually beneficial development.
President's visit ushers in new chapter in bilateral relations
President Cuong’s visit to Angola is a major diplomatic milestone, which coincides with the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations.
According to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang, the visit reflects Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation, and aims to deepen ties with traditional partners. In recent years, Vietnam’s relations with the Middle East and Africa have gained momentum, with more frequent high-level exchanges.
Amid global economic uncertainties, the visit underscores Vietnam’s commitment to diversifying its markets and partners, particularly in Africa - a continent with 1.5 billion people, abundant resources, a rising middle class, and a growing role in the global economy.
Angola, which is currently holding the rotating chairmanship of the African Union (AU), plays an increasingly important role in the United Nations and other multilateral forums. Vietnam has served as an observer of the AU since 2023.
President Cuong’s visit reflects Vietnam’s deep regard for its traditional partnership with Angola, reaffirming a loyal and time-tested relationship established and nutured during the struggle for national liberation. It also provides both sides with an opportunity to discuss concrete measures to elevate the bilateral ties to a new level in a more substantive, effective, and sustainable manner, aligned with each country’s development and international integration goals.
During the visit, President Cuong is expected to deliver an important address at the Angolan National Assembly, reaffirming Vietnam’s aspiration to contribute more to the world politics, the global economy, and shared human progress as per a message repeatedly emphasised by Party General Secretary To Lam.
Hang described the visit as a turning point that will lay the groundwork for the two nations to enhance cooperation in key areas such as green transition and digital transformation, energy, agriculture, education, healthcare, labour, climate change, tourism, and cultural exchange. It is also expected to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses and investors, especially in the spheres of telecoms and energy, to expand their presence across Africa.
Additionally, Vietnamese Ambassador to Angola Duong Chinh Chuc noted that the visit offers an important opportunity to enhance cooperation between Vietnam and the African Union, as well as between Angola and ASEAN, positioning both nations as crucial bridges fostering inter-regional partnerships.
Meanwhile, Angolan Ambassador to Vietnam Fernando Miguel remarked that the visit sends a strong message about the importance Vietnam places on its relationship with Angola. It also serves as a vivid testament to the enduring traditional friendship between the two nations, a relationship carefully nurtured over the past half-century by generations of their leaders and people./.
