Zamani Saul, premier of South Africa's Northern Cape Province, said on April 27 that the province wants to strengthen ties with Hanoi in the field of green economy.

The Hanoi People's Committee vice chairwoman Vu Thu Ha (red dress) and Zamani Saul, Premier of South Africa's Northern Cape Province, at the meeting on April 27. Photo: Tu Anh/The Hanoi Times

The South African official hoped to promote bilateral cooperation with Hanoi in finance, agriculture, and renewable energy, which are great advantages of Vietnam's capital city, he said at a meeting with Vu Thu Ha, Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee.

Zamani added that Vietnam is an important Asian partner for South Africa, and its development has inspired his country to fight for freedom and achieve significant growth.

According to South African Ambassador to Vietnam Vuyiswa Tulelo, the two countries will celebrate the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations in 2023.

She said that the South African Embassy would host several events for the celebration and arrange meetings for officials from both nations to promote government-to-government and decentralized cooperation.

For her part, Vu Thu Ha, Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Committee, appreciated the ideas of the South African guests.

She said that the visit of the Premier of the Northern Cape Province would kick-start local-to-local partnerships between the two countries and enhance bilateral ties in the 30th year of diplomatic relations.

The visit of the South African delegates will open up new opportunities for cooperation between the Northern Cape and Hanoi, she said.

"The two localities share similar visions, especially in developing high-tech agriculture and industry," the Hanoi official said.

I hope we can realize our partnerships in the future," she said.

Ha added that Hanoi's authorities and the South African Embassy would discuss possible activities to realize the ideas soon.

Speaking about Hanoi's background, Ha said the Vietnamese capital had made remarkable achievements since its reopening in March 2022. The city aims to become the key economic hub of the northern region and the whole nation in 2045.