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Three years after she cruelly finished in fourth place at the 2012 London Olympics, Viljoen claimed her second world bronze medal after her 2011 Daegu third place.
Germany’s Kathrina Molitor launched a mammoth 67.69m throw on her final attempt to claim the victory.
China's Huihui Lyu bagged the silver with 66.13m, while Viljoen produced a fourth-round heave of 65.79m for the bronze.
"To win any colour is special being a world champion means more but being a world medallist is very special," Viljoen told the IAAF.org on Sunday.
After dropping down to fifth place at the halfway mark Viljoen leapfrogged into first place with her bronze-medal winning throw.
This proved to be a brief cameo at the top as Lyu moved into first place in the fifth round before Molitor rose to the occasion to claim the title.
"It was an awesome competition to be part of but yoh it happened so fast where I was in the lead in the fourth round," she said.
"Then the Chinese girl came with the 66 metre throw and with the last throw of the competition the German girl won.
"I don't think anyone saw that coming but what a magnificent performance by Kathrina to win."
Viljoen went into the championships with a world-leading distance of 66.62m.
The 30-year-old Viljoen confirmed her status as one of the country’s most decorated athletes boasting with the two world bronze medals, two Continental Cup silver medals, two Commonwealth Games gold medals and a bronze.
