A New Chapter in Historic Relations
Arabfields, Cathleen Morrighan, Economic Correspondent in Algiers — Algeria and Vietnam have elevated their longstanding bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership, marking a milestone in more than six decades of diplomatic ties. The decision was announced in the capital by Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb and visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who jointly signed a declaration formalizing the upgraded status. The announcement came during Pham Minh Chinh’s three-day official visit to Algeria, the first by a Vietnamese prime minister in ten years, which included meetings with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a major business forum, and the signing of several cooperation agreements. The visit reaffirmed both countries’ determination to strengthen collaboration across political, economic, security, and cultural sectors.
Algeria and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1962 shortly after Algeria’s independence, but the spirit of solidarity between the two nations was forged earlier through their respective anti-colonial struggles against French rule. During Vietnam’s war for independence and reunification, Algeria provided essential moral and material support, while Vietnam reciprocated during Algeria’s liberation war from 1954 to 1962. This shared revolutionary heritage continues to serve as a foundation for cooperation, reflected in the two nations’ close coordination in international forums on issues such as decolonization, multilateralism, and the interests of developing nations. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that “Vietnam always remembers the support Algeria offered during our struggle for national liberation and throughout our nation-building efforts,” a sentiment echoed by President Tebboune, who described the bilateral friendship as a “priceless asset.”
At the heart of the visit was the formal establishment of a strategic partnership, which both sides interpret as a sign of mutual political trust and their commitment to expanding cooperation. Prime Minister Ghrieb described the new framework as a shared vision aimed at seizing all opportunities in political, military, security, and economic fields, while both leaders pledged to intensify high-level exchanges, coordinate on global issues, and advocate for a fairer multipolar world.
The two governments also signed several key documents, including the joint declaration elevating bilateral ties, the minutes of the 13th session of the Algeria, Vietnam Inter-Governmental Committee, a series of memoranda covering housing, finance, education, and telecommunications, a cooperation agreement between the national chambers of commerce, an academic partnership linking Algeria’s USTHB University with Vietnam’s PTIT Institute, and an amendment to the protocol on bilateral debt treatment. Together, these instruments provide a practical roadmap for enhanced cooperation throughout 2025–2027 and beyond.
Economic cooperation, long considered promising but underdeveloped, is now gaining momentum. Bilateral trade has expanded rapidly, rising from around $220 million in 2024 to more than $450–500 million in the first nine to ten months of 2025, representing growth of over 200 percent. Vietnam exports coffee, pepper, seafood, textiles, footwear, and chemicals to Algeria while importing mainly oil and raw materials. One of the most successful joint ventures remains the Bir Seba oil project operated by Vietnam’s PVEP in partnership with Algeria’s Sonatrach, which has produced nearly 57 million barrels since operations began in 2015 and stands as a symbol of productive cooperation in the energy sector. Both countries aim to push annual trade to $1 billion in the near future. Algeria sees Vietnam as a vital partner in food security, agricultural processing, and technological transfer, while offering Vietnamese firms access to the wider African market through the African Continental Free Trade Area. The Vietnam, Algeria Business Forum held on November 19, attended by over 500 delegates, the largest such gathering ever, explored new opportunities in renewable energy, digital transformation, infrastructure, tourism, and halal food production.
The expanded partnership also encompasses defense and security cooperation. Algeria and Vietnam, both former non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace, international law, and global stability. They expressed readiness to strengthen coordination within the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and regional mechanisms involving Africa and the Arab world.
The strategic partnership is accompanied by a concrete roadmap centered on regular high-level visits, stronger decentralized cooperation, including a planned twinning between Algeria’s Batna province and Vietnam’s Dien Bien province, and accelerated implementation of the newly signed agreements. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called for a swift and practical action plan to transform political consensus into tangible benefits for both peoples, while President Tebboune voiced confidence that the new framework will open a new chapter in bilateral relations.
In a context of global uncertainty and shifting geopolitical balances, the Algeria, Vietnam strategic partnership emerges as an ambitious model of South, South cooperation rooted in historical ties, driven by shared aspirations, and focused on sustainable development. With booming trade, expanding investments, and newly emerging sectors of collaboration, both nations look poised to transform a historic friendship into a dynamic engine for growth across Africa and Southeast Asia.
