Pretoria, November 22, 2025 – The Europe Today: Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, accompanied by his spouse Lê Thị Bích Trân and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, met with officials and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy as well as representatives of the Vietnamese community in South Africa on the afternoon of November 21 (local time). The meeting formed part of his working visit to South Africa for the G20 Summit and a series of bilateral activities.
Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoàng Sỹ Cường briefed the Prime Minister on the local Vietnamese community, noting that it remains small and has been present in the country since before 1990. He said that despite the absence of major Vietnamese enterprises, community members enjoy relatively stable lives and maintain strong links with the homeland. The Ambassador called for greater attention to Africa—particularly South Africa—highlighting the need to open new markets, strengthen cooperation frameworks and expand business connectivity.
Lê Hoài Nam, head of the Liaison Committee of the Vietnamese Community in South Africa, said that although the community is modest in size, it remains proud of its Vietnamese heritage, deeply connected to its homeland, and delighted by Việt Nam’s recent national development achievements. He noted that community members actively participate in initiatives that strengthen ties with Việt Nam and contribute to the friendship between the two nations.
Community representatives raised several proposals, including support for legal status procedures, more streamlined visas and employment facilitation for Vietnamese nationals, and expanded access to online public services for those residing far from the homeland. They also emphasized the need for community-focused events and Vietnamese language classes for younger generations—through both online and in-person formats—to preserve cultural identity. Addressing challenges faced by overseas communities in remote areas and enhancing cooperation in education, science, technology and innovation were also highlighted as priorities.
Prime Minister Chính expressed appreciation for the community’s contributions and reaffirmed that Việt Nam–South Africa relations are grounded in a long-standing traditional friendship. He recalled the mutual solidarity shown during Việt Nam’s struggle for national liberation and reunification, as well as South Africa’s fight against apartheid and its pursuit of democracy and national unity. Exchanges between the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the African National Congress began as early as the 1955 Asian–African Conference in Bandung, he noted.
The Prime Minister emphasized that South Africa is currently Việt Nam’s largest trading partner in Africa, though economic relations remain below potential. He stressed that both sides must seek deeper, more substantive, and mutually beneficial cooperation. He informed the community that during his visit, the two countries’ leaders agreed to elevate bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership. They also committed to expanding cooperation and investment in priority fields such as agriculture, minerals, clean energy, oil and gas exploration, petrochemicals, trade, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
Updating the community on domestic progress, PM Chính said preparations for the 14th National Party Congress are underway, marking the beginning of a new development phase for the country. He highlighted Việt Nam’s efforts to promote institutional reform, simplify administrative procedures, attract talent, develop human resources and major infrastructure, and maintain macro-economic stability while aiming for robust growth—targeting at least 8 percent GDP expansion in 2025 and double-digit growth in the years ahead—anchored in science, technology and digital transformation.
The Prime Minister also spoke about recent severe natural disasters and flooding in Việt Nam, emphasising the government’s commitment to ensuring social welfare with the principle that “no one is left behind”. He called for support from the overseas community for disaster relief efforts.
He noted that the Vietnamese diaspora now numbers around six million people across more than 130 countries and territories, including approximately 4.3 million permanent residents and 600,000 experts and intellectuals. The Prime Minister praised their contributions to national development and stressed that the Party and State regard overseas Vietnamese as an inseparable part of the nation.
Highlighting supportive policies incorporated into major laws—including land, identity, real estate business, nationality, and science and technology—he reaffirmed that new measures are being developed to facilitate the return of overseas Vietnamese and enable them to contribute to the country’s progress.
He instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassy and other representative bodies to strengthen citizen protection, maintain proactive communication—including 24/7 support—and implement high-level agreements through concrete programmes. He also said he had asked South African leaders to continue supporting Vietnamese nationals to live and work stably in the host country, including through favourable residency and labour policies.
Prime Minister Chính expressed hope that the Vietnamese community in South Africa would continue to grow, maintain unity, integrate effectively into local society, respect local laws, uphold Việt Nam’s reputation, preserve cultural and linguistic heritage, and serve as an important bridge promoting friendship and cooperation between Việt Nam and South Africa.
He encouraged community members to remain self-reliant and contribute, where possible, to Việt Nam’s development and the strengthening of bilateral ties.
