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The Vice President of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr Do Ba Ty, will be visiting Parliament on Thursday, 24 August, to hold talks with his counterpart, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mr Lechesa Tsenoli.

It is the first visit from the National Assembly of Vietnam to the South African Parliament. It follows a visit in November 2011 by former National Assembly Speaker Mr Max Sisulu to Chairman of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr Nguyễn Sinh Hùng. Mr Sisulu also met with Deputy Prime Minister Mr Nguyễn Xuân Phún and President of Vietnam Mr Truon Tan Sang.

The Vietnamese parliamentary delegation’s visit to the South African Parliament aims to strengthen oversight to assist in implementation of agreements between the two countries, work together on issues of mutual benefit and strengthen parliamentary diplomatic relations, among others.

South Africa and Vietnam in 2018 will celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations. However, the relationship goes back many years before the formal establishment of diplomatic relations. The Vietnam Democratic Republic and South Vietnam, later reunified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, were two of the 34 countries that attended the Asia-Africa Conference, also known as the Bandung Conference in 1955 in Indonesia, where the South African liberation movement was represented by Moses Kotane and Maulvi Cachalia.

The Bandung Conference issued a call for world-wide disarmament and also laid down a ten-point “good neighbour” policy for peaceful co-existence among nations. It was in Bandung that the bonds of solidarity and cooperation between the South African liberation movement and Vietnam were formed. These bonds persisted throughout the years of struggle for freedom and close relations developed between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the African National Congress.

Bilateral relations with Vietnam are structured through the Governmental Partnership Forum for Economic, Trade, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Co-operation. The Inter-Governmental Partnership Forum for Economic, Trade, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Co-operation was established in 2004. The inaugural meeting of the Partnership Forum was held in Hanoi in May 2007, during former President Mbeki’s State Visit to Vietnam. The second meeting of the Forum was held in Pretoria from August 2012 and the third one was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in June 2015. The fourth Partnership Forum is tentatively scheduled to take place in South Africa in September 2017.

Media are invited to film or photograph the beginning of the meeting between Deputy Speaker Mr Lechesa Tsenoli and Vice President of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Mr Do Ba Ty on Thursday, 24 August at 12.00, room V8 Old Assembly Building, Parliament. Media who do not have Parliamentary media access permits should enter Parliament through the Visitors’ Centre and bring along official identification (ID, driver’s licence or press card)

Issued by Parliament of the Republic of South Africa