Johannesburg (VNA) – Vietnam and South Africa have issued a Joint Statement on the upgrade of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's trip to South Africa to attend the G20 Summit and conduct a number of bilateral activities from November 21-23.
The following is the full text of the joint statement.
JOINT STATEMENT ON THE UPGRADE TO STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM AND THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
1. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1993, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of South Africa have forged an excellent traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation in numerous areas on the basis of trust, equality, mutual respect, and convergence of interest.
2. Amid profound shifts worldwide, and taking into account the increasing interdependence among economies around the globe and the common aspirations of the two peoples, based on the results of the State visit of the President of South Africa to Vietnam from October 23 to 24, 2025, on the occasion of the visit by H.E. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to South Africa to attend the G20 Summit and conduct a number of bilateral activities from November 21 to 23, 2025, Vietnam and South Africa have decided to elevate their bilateral relations to Strategic Partnership.
3. The establishment of the Vietnam - South Africa Strategic Partnership serves to elevate the two countries’ relations to a new height, both bilaterally and multilaterally. This framework will also contribute to promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and the world, in compliance with the UN Charter, international law, and the principles of respect for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and non-intervention in each other’s domestic affairs.
4. Under this Strategic Partnership, Vietnam and South Africa will continue to deepen their bilateral cooperation, with focus given to the following areas:
POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC COOPERATION
5. The two Sides agree to further step up delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels, particularly at the high level and Ministerial level, on a regular basis across Party, State channels, as well as between Vietnamese and South African localities. This will help bolster political ties and mutual understanding between the two countries.
6. The two Sides underscore the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in both Asia and Africa and around the world, on the basis of full compliance with the UN Charter and international law. Both Sides reiterate their support for multilateralism, and will continue to work closely with each other at international and regional organizations to accelerate the reforms toward a fair and effective global governance system, fulfilling the aspirations and reinforcing the role of developing countries, and calling for a greater voice and stature of the Global South in international relations.
7. The two Sides support the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the crucial role of the African Union (AU), and agree to seek the means to strengthen the collaboration among Asian and African nations and South - South cooperation. Vietnam reaffirms its support for South Africa inenhancing coordination with ASEAN and its Member States, particularly in areas aligned with the interest, potential, and strength of each country. South Africa supports Vietnam in bolstering cooperation with and making substantive contributions to the AU’s 2063 Agenda.
DEFENSE AND SECURITY COOPERATION
8. The two Sides agree to enhance bilateraldefense and security cooperation commensurate with the strategic level of bilateral relations by stepping up delegation exchanges. Both Sides will also engage in closer collaboration in training, defense industry, UN peacekeeping operations, and response to non-traditional security challenges.
9. The two Sides remain committed to regularly implementing the Deputy-Ministerial-level Defense Policy Dialogue, increase academic exchanges among defense and security academies and research institutes, expedite the negotiations and signing of new agreements between relevant agencies, enhance information exchange in areas pertaining to security and public security, and advance cooperation in such fields as cybersecurity, high-tech crimes, drug trafficking, and transnational organized crimes.
ECONOMIC, TRADE, INVESTMENT, AND TOURISM COOPERATION
10. The two Sides pledge to bolster economic cooperation, which has been a key pillar in the Vietnam - South Africa Strategic Partnership. Both countries will work towards breakthroughs in two-way trade and investment growth, ease market access, and support enterprises to expand investment and using each other’s market as gateways to their respective region through the network of FTAs of ASEAN, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and other regional FTAs.
11. The two Sides are committed to promoting an enabling, transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory environment for trade, investment, and tourism cooperation, and encouraging further exchanges among businesses. Both Sides will also strive to establish direct flights to each other’s cities.
12. The two Sides stand ready to effectively implement existing cooperation arrangements, both bilaterally and multilaterally, and to explore the establishment of new cooperation frameworks in specific areas pertaining to trade, investment, and tourism. In this regard, both Sides reaffirm their commitment to convening regular meetings of the Joint Trade Committee (JTC) as a mechanism to advance and monitor bilateral economic cooperation. Furthermore, both Sides pledge to work closely together on economic matters of mutual interest within international organisations of which both are members.
13. The two Sides agree to review existing and negotiate new cooperation agreements, thereby laying the necessary legal foundation for bilateral collaboration across the board.
COOPERATION IN INDUSTRY, ENERGY, MINERALS, AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND TRANSPORTATION
14. Both Sides are committed to strengthening cooperation in minerals, mining, manufacturing, supporting industries, and oil and gas services, as a new impetus to advance bilateral ties. The two nations will also strive to enhance energy cooperation to accelerate the transition to renewables in each country, with focus given to the efficient use of energy, cutting of emissions, and manufacturing of electric vehicles, serving the practical development needs of each country.
15. The two Sides agree to enhance South-South Cooperation and to promote collaboration in agriculture, forestry, aquacultural cultivation, fishery, processing of agricultural produces, circular economy, resource and environmental management, climate action, preservation of biodiversity, and protection of wildlife.
16. The two Sides also agree to work closely in infrastructure construction, and in maritime and aviation services.
COOPERATION IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING
17. The two Sides will step up cooperation programs in digital transformation, circular economy, artificial intelligence (AI), and green technology.
18. The two Sides also express the aspiration to promote academic exchange programs and scholarships, and implement joint programs and projects in a number of areas, including managerial and leadership capacity building, education technology, vocational training, and upskilling.
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGE AND COOPERATION AMONG LOCALITIES
19. The two Sides agree to strengthen collaboration among businesses, to promote cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, as well as cooperation and exchanges between localities in the fields of economy, science and technology, culture, education, and sports, thereby, to bolster friendship and mutual understanding. Both Sides also pledge to expedite the signing and implementation of cooperation agreements between localities from both countries, and other agreements to facilitate the traveling of the two peoples, agreements between localities of the two countries aimed at delivering tangible socio-economic development outcomes.
This Joint Statement is established in Johannesburg on November 21, 2025 in 02 (two) copies in Vietnamese and English of equal values. If there is any difference in the interpretation of this Joint Statement, the English copy will be given priority./.
