Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe Hoang Van Loi presents his letter of Credence to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. (Photo: VNA)

Receiving Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa and Zimbabwe Hoang Van Loi who came to present his letter of credentials on May 12, President Emmerson Mnangagwa congratulated Viet Nam on its impressive achievements in socio-economic development and its increasing role and prestige in the international arena.

Recalling the good bilateral relations since Viet Nam supported Zimbabwe in its previous struggle for independence and is an active member of the Non-Aligned Movement, he expressed his wish that the ties will grow further, especially in economics and trade and in fields that the two countries have great potential and strengths, such as agriculture, mining, tourism, education and training.

Ambassador Loi conveyed greetings from Vietnamese leaders to President Mnangagwa, as well as an invitation for him to visit Vietnam. President Mnangagwa accepted the invitation, saying that he would arrange the visit at a convenient time.

Earlier, the Vietnamese diplomat paid a courtesy visit to Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Frederick Shava who stated that the two countries should strengthen the exchange of delegations at all levels and continue to support each other at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations. He congratulated Vietnam on becoming an observer of the African Union (AU) and affirmed that Zimbabwe will always support Vietnam in developing relations with the AU in general and African member countries in particular.

He took the occasion to invite Vietnamese firms to join the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) slated for April 2023. He affirmed that Zimbabwe always welcomes and creates favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to seek business opportunities in the country.