Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to New Zealand from March 12-14 is a reiteration of Vietnam’s policy of attaching importance to its diplomatic ties with the country, looking towards a strategic partnership and enhanced cooperation in major spheres.
![]() |
| Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) presents a special gift to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during their meeting in Vietnam's central Da Nang city in November 2017. |
Vietnam and New Zealand officially set up diplomatic ties on June 19, 1975.
They established comprehensive partnership in September 2009, which created a new momentum for the bilateral cooperation in all fields, both bilaterally and multilaterally, for the sake of the two countries’ people, as well as for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.
The relationship has developed strongly in recent years, as reflected through high-level visits and meetings, along with the exchange of delegations and citizens of the two countries.
New Zealand always treasures ties with Vietnam and considers the country an important factor in its policy towards Asia-Pacific.
During the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Vietnam’s central Da Nang city in November 2017, the two countries signed an action programme for 2017-2020, aiming to deepen the bilateral relations more firmly and stably in the time ahead.
The programme has charted orientations for the relationship in the next four years, focusing on collaboration in politics, national defence and security, economy and trade, and development support and people-to-people exchange.
Trade between Vietnam and New Zealand has expanded by about 20 percent annually, from US$707 million in 2016 to US$907.5 million last year. The figure is expected to reach US$1.7 billion in 2020, making economic cooperation a pillar of the bilateral ties.
Currently, Vietnam is New Zealand’s 16th largest import market and the country’s19th biggest export market.
In the field of agriculture, Vietnam ships fruits, cashew nuts, coffee, pepper and seafood to New Zealand. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s agricultural exports to Vietnam make up more than 60 percent of the country’s total export revenue to the Southeast Asian nation, mainly dairy products, garment-textile materials, fruits, wood materials and minerals.
Thanks to close and effective collaboration between Vietnamese and New Zealand agricultural agencies in terms of quarantine, other agricultural products of Vietnam have been sold in NZ, such as tra fish, Hoa Loc mango and dragon fruit.
In the realm of investment, as of the end of December 2017, New Zealand had run 29 valid projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of some US$102.4 million, ranking 45th among 125 countries and territories investing in the country.
New Zealand has increased its investments in such sectors as agriculture, renewable energy and infrastructure in Vietnam, while helping the country improve capacity and technology for the production, manufacturing and preservation of farm produce in order to meet high standards of the international market.
New Zealand always offers stable and annually increasing official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam, focusing on social welfare, agriculture and rural development, human resources development, and natural disaster and climate change management and combat.
The country has committed 26.66 million NZD (US$18.6 million) to Vietnam between July 2015 and June 2018.
The affiliation in culture-education has also created a firm foundation for the relationship, with about 2,500 Vietnamese students studying in New Zealand.
At regional and international forums, Vietnam and New Zealand have maintained their close coordination and mutual support, particularly within ASEAN mechanisms, the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the UN.
Vietnam highly values New Zealand’s stance on the East Sea issue in the spirit of respect for international law and wishes that the country will continue to support the stance and viewpoints of Vietnam as well as ASEAN on this issue.
New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Matthews said the connectivity between Vietnamese and New Zealanders is developing and the year 2018 is expected to witness more hallmarks in the bilateral ties.
The diplomat held that the two countries still have a lot of potential for cooperation in trade, economy, education and tourism.
Vietnam highly evaluates India’s role and contributions to regional peace, stability and development, and always regards India as one of its most important partners, the top leader said.
The Party and State leaders expressed their profound respect and boundless gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh, who founded and trained the Communist Party of Vietnam and made immense contributions to the Party and nation’s glorious revolutionary cause.
The NA's Committee for Cultural and Social Affairs has moved fast to reshuffle its organisation after the 14th National Party Congress and the election of deputies to the 16th NA, updating its work agenda to match new directives set out in the resolutions of the 14th National Party Congress and the first Congress of the NA Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 term.
Vietnam and Croatia should strive to double bilateral trade turnover from the current level of 161 million USD; study the establishment of a Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation to create a long-term, stable, and effective framework for collaboration, said Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
Vice President of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) Jesús Faria expressed deep admiration for President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s indomitable struggle for national independence. He described President Ho Chi Minh as an immortal symbol of 20th-century national liberation movements, whose legacy continues to inspire leftist parties, progressive movements, and peoples across Latin America, including Venezuela.
Vietnam National University, Hanoi must rise even further, becoming a leading academic pillar, a major hub of innovation, and a pioneering force in Vietnam’s higher education system; while also serving as a distinguished and reputable representative of Vietnamese intellect on the international stage.
Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang shared Vietnam’s approach to building an independent and self-reliant economy linked to deep international integration, while proposing several key areas for enhanced cooperation between BRICS and partner countries at the Expanded BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting that opened on May 14 in India.
The Central Steering Committee for reviewing the one-year operation of the political system’s apparatus and the two-tier local administration model convened its first session in Hanoi on May 14.
PSNews - The spokesperson stated that the dispatch of personnel by relevant parties to features belonging to Truong Sa without Vietnam’s permission constitutes a violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty under international law. She stressed that such actions run counter to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as ongoing efforts by countries to negotiate a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
PSNews - Vietnam’s proposals placed the highest priority on ensuring a peaceful and stable environment conducive for continued sustainable development and improving the well-being and happiness of the ASEAN people. They were praised by member states and incorporated into the core contents of the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on the response to the Middle East crisis.
Both sides emphasised that advancing bilateral relations is a shared strategic choice, and pledged to steadfastly pursue the socialist path and jointly safeguard the socialist regimes and the leadership role of their Communist Parties as their most fundamental common strategic interest, Ambassador He Wei said.
At the meetings, the senior Vietnamese Party official affirmed that Vietnam would continue to work closely with Cambodia to strengthen and deepen bilateral ties, while consistently supporting Cambodia’s peaceful, stable and prosperous development.
Vietnam highly values the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in strengthening national capacity in crime prevention and criminal justice, drug control, and addressing emerging challenges, particularly cybercrime, said Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man underlined that digital transformation must go beyond investing in software or platforms and instead create substantive changes in working methods, advisory quality and operational efficiency.
Consolidating the central steering committees for institutional and legal reform and for judicial reform is necessary in order to streamline organisational structures without reducing responsibilities, while ensuring clear accountability, measurable outputs and concrete results. Following the restructuring, the body will be renamed the central steering committee for institutional improvement and law enforcement, with the Party General Secretary and State President serving as its head.
Bui Thi Minh Hoai was re-elected President of the the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee for the 2026-2031 tenure at the first conference of the 11th-term VFF Central Committee, held before the closing session of its 11th National Congress on May 13 morning in Hanoi.
At the meeting this week, Ambassador Viet briefed the UNGA President on developments during the first two weeks of the conference. He stressed that the current international geopolitical landscape poses numerous complex challenges, while reaffirming Vietnam’s determination, together with other member states, to promote substantive and balanced outcomes at the conference.
The host leader stressed that cooperation between localities, particularly between the capitals of Hanoi and Vientiane, plays an especially important role as a pioneering force in effectively implementing the foreign polices of the two Parties and States, while also serving as a bridge between politics and development, as well as between strategy and concrete action.
More than 1,300 delegates are attending the 11th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) for the 2026–2031 tenure, including 1,138 official delegates.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung praised ministries and agencies for their proactive steps since the beginning of this year and especially from early April to follow the Politburo’s Resolution 57 and Conclusion 18, with clear, positive progress.