New Zealand will orient its cooperation with Vietnam to a strategic partnership with the intensive development of projects in central Binh Dinh province, said New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Haike Manning.

At a press briefing in Quy Nhon city on April 10 on New Zealand ’s cooperation programmes and projects in the province, the ambassador highly valued the effective implementation of the projects.

New Zealand ’s cooperation projects in Binh Dinh will focus on three key areas, including education and research, trade and working holiday scheme (WHS) for local youths in New Zealand , he said.

Haike Manning said his country will continue providing graduate and post-graduate scholarships for Vietnam ’s State officials and university lecturers.

It will also organise research cooperation programmes between the two countries’ universities and institutes as well as between Binh Dinh and organisations in New Zealand , added he.

In the medical field, New Zealand is ready to help Binh Dinh train its physician staff, he noted.

According to the ambassador, the two sides may cooperate in woodwork production as Binh Dinh boasts strength in processing timber and forest products and New Zealand can provide a large amount of wood materials.

Currently, two New Zealand-funded projects have been effectively implemented in Binh Dinh province, including the 1.7 million USD project on sustainable rural livelihood and the other on modernising land management using over 12 million USD from the World Bank’s loan. The second project has also been carried out in other eight provinces across the country.

On the occasion, the New Zealand ambassador conducted a fact-finding tour of two other projects on improving the quality and use of mother and child health care services, and pre-school education in the province.-VNA