Vietnam joins BRICS as 10th partner nation
              
(China Daily) -- Vietnam’s inclusion as a BRICS partner country will enhance the bloc’s international influence and lead to closer cooperation among Global South countries, experts said.

A young couple from Vietnam sell fruit pastries and Vietnamese coffee in Dongxing, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, in April. Cross-border trade has thrived in the small city, which borders Vietnam’s Mang Cai.

Joining BRICS as the 10th partner country underlined Vietnam’s commitment to multilateralism and showed that, rather than choosing sides or forming alliances, the country believes cooperation is the best path forward in a contested, fractured world, said Vu Lam, a political scientist and adjunct lecturer at the University of New South Wales Canberra in Australia.
“Vietnam is signaling that it does not want to be caught in great power rivalry. Instead, it is showing a preference to continue working through multilateral frameworks, where developing countries like itself can have a stronger voice,” Lam told China Daily.
The Southeast Asian country has been formally admitted as a partner country of BRICS, according to an announcement made on Friday by Brazil, the chair of the bloc of major emerging economies in 2025.
With Vietnam standing out as a relevant actor in Asia, the country shares with the BRICS members and partners a commitment to a more inclusive and representative international order, the Brazilian government said in a statement. “Its efforts in favour of South-South cooperation and sustainable development reinforce its convergence with the interests of the group,” the statement said.
Established in 2009, BRICS initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India and China. It was expanded to include South Africa in 2010 and now has 11 members, after the inclusion of six new members in 2024 and 2025.
Amid the expansion push, several countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have joined BRICS. Indonesia became a full member in January, while Thailand and Malaysia were granted partner country status.
Being part of BRICS means Vietnam is now recognised as a part of a core group that shapes discussions on global governance and economic cooperation in the Global South, Lam said, adding that it also aligns with Vietnam’s foreign policy built around multilateralism and diversification.
The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said Vietnam has become a BRICS partner country with a desire to contribute to enhancing the voice and role of developing countries, while promoting international solidarity and inclusive multilateralism based on respect for international law, according to the country’s national English-language daily Vietnam News.
Vietnam’s inclusion could further elevate ASEAN’s visibility within BRICS, indicating a shift toward more inclusive multipolar leadership in the Global South, said Anna Malindog-Uy, a PhD candidate in economics at the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development at Peking University.

(Latest Update June 20, 2025)