President Luong Cuong and his spouse’s state visit to Angola from August 6-9 at the invitation of Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco and his spouse is expected to open a new development phase for the Vietnam – Angola relations, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to the African country Duong Chinh Chuc.
In a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency, the diplomat underscored the significance of the visit, the highest-level one by a Vietnamese leader to Angola since then President Tran Duc Luong’s 2002 visit and then Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh’s 2008 trip. It aims to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries (1975–2025).
Ambassador Chuc emphasised that the visit will serve as a platform for the two nations’ leaders to assess their cooperation over recent years and chart a new course for the future.
Several important agreements across such sectors as economy, legal affairs, and communications will be signed during the visit, he said, adding they have undergone careful inter-agency review and will lay groundwork for expanded bilateral and multilateral collaboration.
Amidst complicated developments in the region and the world as countries gravitate towards a multipolar and multicentred world, the diplomatic outreach carries strategic weight, especially when Angola is holding the rotating chairmanship of the African Union (AU). Chuc said that this will be an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration between Vietnam and the AU as well as between Angola and ASEAN. positioning both nations as crucial bridges fostering inter-regional partnerships. Reflecting on the five-decade Vietnam-Angola relations, he acknowledged that both countries have maintained sound traditional friendship and cooperation across party, government, parliamentary, and people-to-people channels. Over the years, the countries have supported each other both bilaterally and at multilateral forums. Although exchanges had been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the momentum has returned since 2023, with notable visits by Politburo member and Minister of Public Security To Lam in July 2023, Vice National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh in October 2023, and Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the committee’s Commission for Information and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia in May 2024.
On the Angolan side, the country has reciprocated with several visits to Vietnam, including a delegation of young parliamentarians and senior officials from the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party. Most recently, a high-level MPLA delegation participated in Vietnam’s national reunification celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City.
Regarding economic cooperation, while acknowledging the modest nature of economic cooperation in previous years, Ambassador Chuc expressed optimism about positive signs, particularly following the seventh session of the intergovernmental committee in March 2024. Several Vietnamese investment projects in Angola have been carried out, and numerous Vietnamese enterprises are showing increasing interest in the Angolan market. However, he candidly admitted that economic cooperation falls short of expectations, with limited investment levels, small-scale trade transactions, and insufficient cultural exchanges, with few Angolans visiting Vietnam.
On the legal front, both sides are reviewing the signed documents and looks to ink new ones to create a favourable legal environment for both local people and businesses. Meanwhile, health care and education have been the pillars in the bilateral cooperation, with the Angolan government and people praising Vietnamese experts’ valuable contributions.
Looking ahead, the ambassador identified Angola's rich development potential as a foundation for enhanced cooperation, citing the country's abundant young human resources and high demand for consumer goods. The Angolan government is focusing on economic diversification, enhanced domestic production capacity, particularly in agriculture and consumer goods manufacturing, while landing investment in infrastructure and telecommunications. In the meantime, Vietnam is expanding its exports and encouraging companies to reach international markets. Chuc said the time is ripe for the two nations to bolster collaboration.
To unlock cooperation potential, he suggested several concrete ways, including maintaining high-level delegation exchanges, completing legal frameworks, enhancing market information sharing, and boosting cultural and education exchanges.
A particularly noteworthy aspect of Vietnam – Angola relations is the substantial contributions by the Vietnamese community in the African country. Chuc said that this is the largest Vietnamese community in Africa, with around 10,000 people, many of whom are small business owners or work with Vietnamese and foreign companies. They have embodied a spirit of unity, patriotism, and compliance with local laws./.
