Pretoria - South Africa and Vietnam are expected to strengthen cooperation on trade, defence and environmental management during a state visit this week.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will host a series of meetings with his counterpart, Vice President of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Doan, in Pretoria. Nguyen and other Vietnamese dignitaries will be on an official visit in the country until Wednesday.
This is a reciprocal visit following Motlanthe's visit to Vietnam in October 2010.
The two governments further committed to actively encourage both South African and Vietnamese companies to take full advantage of excellent historical and political relations between the two countries to engage in trade and investment ventures.
The two countries already cooperate in the fields of tourism as well as water resources.
