On the afternoon of March 16, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a phone conversation with President of the Republic of Angola João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço to discuss Vietnam-Angola bilateral relations and international issues of mutual concern.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his pleasure at reconnecting with the Angolan President following their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa in November 2025. He also conveyed regards and an invitation from Party General Secretary To Lam and other Vietnamese leaders to President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço and senior Angolan leaders to visit Vietnam in the near future.

Congratulating Angola on successfully assuming the rotating Chairmanship of the African Union (AU) in 2025, the Prime Minister voiced confidence that, with its growing prestige and position, Angola would continue contributing to peace, stability and development in Africa.

The Prime Minister also expressed concern over ongoing tensions in the Middle East and their adverse impacts on the global economy, including Vietnam and Angola. Building on the traditional friendship and mutual trust between the two countries, he proposed that Angola further support Vietnam in securing supplies of crude oil and gas, while coordinating to accelerate the implementation of the memorandum of understanding on oil and gas cooperation between PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP) and Angola’s Sonangol E&P, as well as facilitating the oil and gas activities of Xuan Thien Group.

The Prime Minister called for both sides to closely coordinate in effectively implementing commitments and agreements reached during the State visit to Angola by President Luong Cuong in August 2025, particularly in areas of strength such as trade, investment, agriculture, mining and energy security, with a view to raising bilateral trade turnover to USD 1 billion in the near future.

He also suggested that the two countries promote existing cooperation mechanisms such as the Intergovernmental Committee and political consultations between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and soon conclude negotiations towards signing agreements on investment promotion and protection as well as double taxation avoidance.

The Prime Minister expressed his hope that Angola, leveraging its role and influence within the African Union, would actively support Vietnam in strengthening substantive ties with the AU, particularly in priority areas under the Agenda 2063 such as peacekeeping, agriculture, healthcare, education and digital transformation. He reaffirmed Vietnam’s readiness to assist Angola in enhancing relations with ASEAN member states.

President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço welcomed the phone talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh following their meeting in South Africa, reaffirming that Angola attaches great importance to its traditional friendship and cooperation with Vietnam.

He noted that, following activities marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2025, Angola’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs would coordinate with its Vietnamese counterpart to prepare for an upcoming visit to Vietnam by senior Angolan leaders.

The Angolan President shared the Prime Minister’s assessment of the current Middle East conflict, stressing the need for affected countries to enhance dialogue and coordination to mitigate negative impacts. Acknowledging Vietnam’s challenges in ensuring energy security amid the situation, he agreed to further promote bilateral energy cooperation as proposed by the Prime Minister.