Hanoi (VNA) – Politburo member and Permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu and First Deputy Secretary General of South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) Nomvula Mokonyane held talks in Hanoi on May 19 during the later’s visit to Vietnam from May 17 to 22.

Welcoming the high-ranking ANC delegation to Vietnam, Tu expressed his belief that the visit, the first of its kind in the last 25 years, will help further promote the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two Parties and the two countries.

For her part, Mokonyane said the visit is one of the steps to implement the results of the historic high-level phone call between CPV General Secretary To Lam and President of the ANC and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa in April. It also reflects the ANC and the South African Government's commitment to promoting the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam.

The two officials shared the situation of their respective Parties and countries while affirming the importance of maintaining and promoting the relationship between the two ruling Parties in orienting and promoting the multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and South Africa.

The two sides agreed to promote the implementation of the outcomes of the phone talks between the CPV and ANC leaders, along with the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the two Parties signed during the visit, focusing on stepping up meetings and mutual visits, especially by high-level delegations of the two Parties and the two countries, and increasing the sharing of experiences in Party building and country leadership.

Tu thanked his guest for inviting a CPV leader to the G20 Political Parties Conference, and a state leader of Vietnam to attend the G20 Summit held in South Africa in November 2025, affirming that Vietnamese leaders will strive to contribute to the success of these important events. He also said he looks forward to welcoming ANC President and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to visit Vietnam in the near future.

Mokonyane described the signing of the MoU on cooperation as an important milestone in the two Parties' relationship, demonstrating their traditional solidarity and close relationship and also creating a framework for substantive cooperation in various fields between the two Parties and the two countries in the coming time.

She said that the ANC will continue to send high-level delegations that gather officials of its committees and Government agencies to Vietnam to discuss collaboration with their Vietnamese counterparts, thus strongly promoting bilateral cooperation.

Discussing specific cooperation results in various fields, the two sides perceived that Vietnam – South Africa cooperation has enjoyed progress, especially in bilateral trade with an impressive turnover of nearly 1.8 billion USD in 2024. They agreed to develop economic and trade ties on par with the countries' potential.

Besides, they agreed to work together to effectively implement the Intergovernmental Partnership Forum, the Defence Policy Dialogue, and the Vietnam – South African Joint Trade Committee. The two countries will maintain close coordination at multilateral mechanisms, and also boost cultural and artistic exchanges to enhance mutual understanding between their peoples.

The ANC official agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in areas such as energy, agriculture, and digital transformation. She welcomed Vietnam's proposal to negotiate and sign a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).

The two officials also looked into some regional and international issues of mutual concern, agreeing their countries will continue to support each other at international multilateral mechanisms for peace, cooperation, and development.

𒐪 Concluding the talks, Tu and Mokonyane signed an MoU on cooperation between the two Parties./