The visit comes as Vietnam-Côte d’Ivoire relations enter a period of growing economic engagement, with trade, agriculture and parliamentary exchanges emerging as areas with further potential.

Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire established diplomatic relations on October 6, 1975, and have maintained ties for more than five decades, with economic and trade cooperation becoming increasingly important.

Two-way trade reached US$1.9 billion in 2025, with Vietnam exporting US$698 million worth of goods to Côte d’Ivoire and importing US$1.28 billion. Vietnam’s exports mainly included rice, machinery, equipment and coffee, while major imports included raw cashew nuts, cotton and timber.

The trade structure points to complementary strengths between the two economies and scope for cooperation beyond goods trade, particularly in agricultural processing, investment and supply-chain connectivity.

Agriculture is another area of particular interest to Côte d’Ivoire. During their meeting in Istanbul in April, Patrick Achi described Vietnam as an important partner for Côte d’Ivoire in Asia, especially in economic and trade relations and agricultural production and supply chains. He also expressed interest in learning from Vietnam’s experience in high-tech agriculture and expanding agricultural trade.

Stronger parliamentary ties

Patrick Achi’s visit also comes as parliamentary relations between the two countries gain further momentum.

The two legislatures signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in June 2023, providing a framework for delegation exchanges, sharing legislative experience and coordination at multilateral forums.

During their April meeting, the two parliamentary leaders agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two legislatures, including coordination and mutual support at forums such as the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the International Organisation of La Francophonie and the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Côte d’Ivoire side has also expressed interest in sending delegations to learn from Vietnam’s development experience, with an initial focus on high-tech agriculture and agricultural trade.

From trade ties to new areas of cooperation

Côte d’Ivoire is an important economy in West Africa and has emerged as a major regional economic centre, while Vietnam is seeking to expand its engagement with African markets.

Against this backdrop, Patrick Achi’s visit could provide fresh momentum for cooperation not only between the two legislatures but also in agriculture, trade, investment and development experience-sharing.

With bilateral trade already reaching US$1.9 billion but remaining concentrated in several major product groups, the next step could be to broaden cooperation into deeper agricultural processing, higher-value products and stronger links between businesses and supply chains.

The August 23-26 visit therefore offers an opportunity to strengthen parliamentary ties while creating a stronger political foundation for expanding economic cooperation between Vietnam and an important partner in West Africa.

Vietnam, Côte d'Ivoire strengthen parliamentary, economic ties

Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man had a meeting with President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire Patrick Achi on the sidelines of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-152) in Istanbul, Türkiye, on April 16 (local time).