Hanoi "stands out as a relevant actor in Asia," Brazil's foreign ministry has said

Vietnam has joined BRICS as its tenth partner country, marking a significant step in the bloc's expansion, Brazil's foreign ministry announced on Saturday.

BRICS was established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. The bloc later expanded to include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran. BRICS accounts for around 40% of global GDP in terms of purchasing power parity - surpassing the combined economic weight of the G7, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

"With a population of almost 100 million and a dynamic economy deeply integrated into global value chains, Vietnam stands out as a relevant actor in Asia," Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The ministry added that Hanoi "shares with the BRICS members and partners a commitment to a more inclusive and representative international order."

The group's other nine partner countries are Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

Hanoi's inclusion as a partner country grants it access to key economic initiatives without formal voting rights.

Earlier in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the group for "dictate-free" cooperation between its members, adding that Moscow intends to "continue working to build an effective system of equal and mutually beneficial international cooperation."

Last year, speaking at a meeting of BRICS security representatives in St. Petersburg, Putin noted that 34 nations had expressed an interest in joining or cooperating with the group in one form or another.