The agreement was reached during talks between Vice President of the National Assembly of Vietnam Nguyen Hong Dien and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa Annelie Lotriet in Cape Town on October 1, as part of Dien’s official visit to South Africa.

Dien highlighted the long-standing solidarity and mutual support between the two peoples, dating back to their struggles against colonialism and apartheid, and noted that the visit aims to put into practice cooperation commitments following the elevation of bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership in November 2025.

He also congratulated the South African National Assembly on the successful 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in September, describing it as evidence of the parliament’s role and standing in international parliamentary forums.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation, Lotriet said the visit would open new avenues for parliamentary cooperation and provide fresh momentum for broader bilateral ties under the Strategic Partnership. She expressed her positive impressions of Vietnam and called for closer coordination in developing effective directions and strategies for future cooperation.

Expanding cooperation under the Strategic Partnership

Dien briefed his South African counterpart on Vietnam’s development, noting that after 40 years of Doi Moi (Renewal), the country had made major achievements of historic significance. He said Vietnam’s economy surpassed US$515 billion and maintained strong growth, expanding 8.18% in the first six months of 2026.

He outlined Vietnam’s current development priorities, including institutional reform, stronger implementation capacity, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transformation and the circular economy. These efforts are aimed at achieving the targets of becoming a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045.

The Vietnamese National Assembly has also fundamentally shifted its legislative approach from management towards development facilitation, including the use of the “one law amending multiple laws” mechanism and the adoption of legislation to remove institutional bottlenecks and mobilise resources for socio-economic development.

Examining cooperation orientations, the two sides agreed that priorities include increasing high-level delegation exchanges, strengthening contacts between specialised committees, working towards the early signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two parliaments, and maintaining close coordination at international multilateral parliamentary forums.

Vietnam also asked the South African legislature to encourage the government to facilitate greater market access for Vietnamese products and create favourable conditions for major Vietnamese companies to invest and cooperate in areas with strong potential, including electronics, telecommunications, minerals, renewable energy, textiles and supporting industries, as well as emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence and innovation.

The two sides agreed to support businesses in accessing markets in each other’s regions.

Dien also asked South Africa to continue supporting the Vietnamese community in the country and create favourable conditions for its members to live and work stably and contribute to friendship between the two peoples.

At the end of the talks, he invited Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa Annelie Lotriet to pay an official visit to Vietnam, and the invitation was accepted with pleasure.

Strengthening cooperation between localities

Later the same day, Vu Hai Ha, Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Defence, Security and External Relations, held a working session with Isaac Sileku, Provincial Minister of Mobility, Western Cape, who is responsible for relations with Asian countries, at the delegation’s request.

Sileku spoke highly of Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements and the positive development of the bilateral Strategic Partnership. He expressed interest in Vietnam’s development model and proposed diversifying partnerships and expanding cooperation between Western Cape and Vietnamese localities in trade, investment, renewable energy and, particularly, tourism.

He also suggested that Vietnam continue to serve as a bridge for South Africa’s cooperation with ASEAN countries, particularly in the energy sector.

For his part, Ha highlighted cooperation between localities as an important pillar for expanding Vietnam’s economic development space. He supported Sileku’s proposals and called for Cape Town to increase exchanges between local authorities and businesses, expand agricultural cooperation, explore the establishment of a direct air route between Cape Town and Vietnam, and establish direct twinning arrangements with corresponding Vietnamese localities.