This is the first visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Kuwait in 16 years, to Algeria in 10 years, and to South Africa in 21 years. The trip aims to strengthen political trust, deepen traditional friendships and promote multifaceted cooperation between Viet Nam and Kuwait, Algeria, and South Africa, along with Middle Eastern and African countries in general. It also reaffirms Viet Nam’s rising role, position, and international standing, along with its increasingly active and responsible contributions at multilateral conferences and forums, including the G20.
This is the first visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Kuwait in 16 years, to Algeria in 10 years, and to South Africa in 21 years. The trip aims to strengthen political trust, deepen traditional friendships and promote multifaceted cooperation between Viet Nam and Kuwait, Algeria, and South Africa, along with Middle Eastern and African countries in general. It also reaffirms Viet Nam’s rising role, position, and international standing, along with its increasingly active and responsible contributions at multilateral conferences and forums, including the G20.
The G20 continues to affirm its role as an important multilateral cooperation forum that leads and shapes global governance trends at a time of deep global upheaval, rising instability, and increasingly complex traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including climate change, natural disasters, and pandemics. As South Africa currently holds the G20 Presidency, the 2025 G20 Summit, themed “Unity, Equality and Sustainable Development”, is being held in Johannesburg. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which a developing country has assumed this role, reflecting the increasingly influential voice and position of developing nations within multilateral mechanisms for global governance.
Viet Nam’s continued invitations to attend recent G20 Summits testify to the growing recognition by the international community of its constructive contributions to globally influential forums. Viet Nam has taken part in several cooperation initiatives within the G20 framework, contributing to collective efforts to address global challenges.
Viet Nam maintains sound, friendly cooperative relations with South Africa, Kuwait and Algeria. South Africa is first country in Africa to establish a partnership for cooperation and development with Viet Nam’s. Kuwait was the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council to establish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam (January 10, 1976). Algeria is Viet Nam’s traditional partner with the deepest historical ties in Africa and offered wholehearted support to Viet Nam during its national reconstruction. Viet Nam and the three countries of South Africa, Kuwait, and Algeria consistently coordinate and support one another at multilateral forums; maintain effective cooperation in fields such as defence, security, agriculture, and biodiversity conservation; and regularly exchange delegations through various channels and at multiple levels.
PM Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Kuwait is of significant importance not only for bilateral ties between Viet Nam and Kuwait but also as a clear reflection of Viet Nam’s foreign policy towards the region. Viet Nam seeks to further strengthen friendly relations, build political trust, expand markets, and tap into areas of cooperation with substantial untapped potential with Kuwait. Taking place as the two countries prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the visit contributes to consolidating and enhancing bilateral ties, aiming to elevate Viet Nam–Kuwait cooperation to new heights and generate tangible benefits for both nations.
In recent years, political and diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Algeria have consistently enjoyed a high level of trust. The two nations have worked closely together at various international forums and have played active roles in the Non-Aligned Movement and the G77. Algeria’s recent participation in the ASEAN Cooperation Mechanism has further expanded its relations with Southeast Asian countries, including Viet Nam. Viet Nam’s goal of becoming a developing nation with modern industry by 2030 and a high-income developed country by 2045 alongside Algeria’s ambitions to become an emerging economy by 2027 provide strong momentum for the two sides to deepen cooperation in the coming years.
With Viet Nam’s impressive economic growth and South Africa’s position as Africa’s largest economy with strong development potential, the two countries possess complementary strengths. In addition to fostering economic and trade relations, both sides are expanding cooperation into green energy, e-commerce, finance and banking, and innovation. They are also actively connecting businesses and promoting investment projects, with a view to advancing bilateral economic relations to match the strong political ties.
PM Pham Minh Chinh’s official visits to Kuwait and Algeria and attendance at the G20 Summit and bilateral events in South Africa demonstrate Viet Nam’s consistent policy of valuing relations with Middle Eastern and African nations, while bolstering cooperation with G20 members and international partners on issues of shared interest to developing countries.
With the aim of strengthening substantive cooperation in economics, trade, and investment, and accelerating collaboration in sectors where each side holds particular advantages, the PM’s trip is creating strong momentum for Viet Nam’s bilateral relations with Kuwait, Algeria, and South Africa, helping to elevate these partnerships to new heights, for peace, cooperation, and development across each region and around the world.
