During the phone conversation, President Ramaphosa affirmed that South Africa highly values the brotherly solidarity, fruitful cooperation and mutual support between the ANC and the Commmunist Party of Vietnam (CPV) – a relationship nurtured by the two countries' leaders and peoples since the struggle against colonialism, and continuously strengthened in the current cause of national development.

He extended sincere thanks to General Secretary Lam for the conversation, and described the historic talks as one that “connected two oceans and bridged geographical distance” to reinforce solidarity between the two Parties and open up cooperation opportunities between the two countries.

In the proud and emotional atmosphere of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification of Vietnam, the ANC leader congratulated the Vietnamese Party, State and people on the occasion, expressing his admiration and appreciation for the tremendous achievements Vietnam has recorded under the CPV’s leadership in national construction and development.

He also congratulated Vietnam on successfully hosting the 4th Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit, which demonstrates the country’s pioneering role in driving science and technology, innovation, green transition, and sustainable and inclusive growth.

In his capacity as Chair of the G20, Ramaphosa officially invited high-ranking Vietnamese leaders to attend the 2025 G20 Summit, as well as the G20 Political Parties Conference and a series of related meetings to be held in South Africa next year.

For his part, the Party leader sincerely thanked the ANC, the South African State and people, and Ramaphosa personally, for their consistent goodwill and affection for the Vietnamese Party, State and people, showing the strong political trust and profound mutual understanding between the two nations.

Lam extended his congratulations to the ANC on its continued leadership and the formation of a Government of National Unity, while expressing his belief that the new government and people of South Africa will secure many new achievements, building a united, peaceful, stable and developed nation with growing influence in Africa and beyond.

In a spirit of comradeship and brotherhood, the two leaders exchanged views on the situation in each Party and country, affirming the importance of maintaining and promoting relations between the two ruling Parties as a foundation for deepening all-around cooperation between Vietnam and South Africa for the benefit of their people and for peace and development in the region and the world.

They agreed to intensify cooperation activities to strengthen political trust and effectively implement the "Partnership for Cooperation and Development" framework between Vietnam and South Africa. This includes enhancing exchanges and working towards the early signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two Parties, thereby creating a legal basis for future cooperation.

President Ramaphosa expressed South Africa’s appreciation for the CPV’s experience in Party building and socio-economic development. He announced that the ANC will soon dispatch a high-level delegation to Vietnam to study its experience and discuss ways to further advance bilateral ties in a substantive and effective manner, for the benefit of the two peoples and for peace, stability and prosperity in their respective regions.

Both sides also consented to step up economic, trade and investment ties, aiming to raise bilateral trade to levels commensurate with their potential. They pledged to augment cooperation in education, defence and security, while exploring new areas such as energy, mining, sustainable resource use, infrastructure development and climate change response.

The two leaders also compared notes on regional and international issues of mutual concern, reaffirming their shared commitment to multilateralism, South–South cooperation, and a common vision for a world that upholds international law.

On this occasion, President Ramaphosa extended an invitation to Party General Secretary Lam to visit South Africa soon. Lam likewise invited Ramaphosa to pay an official visit to Vietnam in 2025 to discuss concrete measures for boosting cooperation. The two leaders tasked their foreign ministries with arranging the visits at a mutually convenient time.

Vietnam, South Africa look to advance traditional friendship

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang and South African Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Anna Thandi Moraka co-chaired the 6th meeting of the Vietnam - South Africa Intergovernmental Partnership Forum in Pretoria on November 27, during which they discussed ways to promote future all-around cooperation.