Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary To Lam received Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (Parliament) Gerry Brownlee in Hanoi on August 28, on the occasion of his official visit to Vietnam.
During the reception, General Secretary Lam warmly welcomed Speaker Gerry Brownlee and the delegation from the New Zealand Parliament, emphasising the significance of the visit as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and New Zealand (1975–2025) and the celebration of Vietnam's 80th National Day (September 2).
He praised New Zealand as a close and friendly partner that has always accompanied and supported Vietnam in its national development. He stressed that strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two countries not only benefits their people but also contributes to peace, stability, and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
He expressed satisfaction with the robust development of Vietnam-New Zealand relations, with political trust as the foundation for enhanced cooperation in various fields. He suggested that both sides increase the exchange of delegations at all levels through Party, Government, Parliamentary, people-to-people, and business channels to deepen mutual understanding.
General Secretary Lam highlighted the complementary nature of the two economies and the vast potential for further cooperation. In the context of global economic and trade volatility, he called for stronger economic, trade, and investment collaboration, creating favourable conditions for each country's key products to access the other’s markets, aiming to reach the target of 3 billion USD in bilateral trade.
He also emphasised the importance of cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchanges as a key pillar of bilateral relations. He thanked New Zealand for accepting a large number of Vietnamese students to study English and other majors, and proposed promoting direct flights and streamlining visa procedures to facilitate travel between the two countries.
On this occasion, the Party chief urged New Zealand to continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community residing, studying, and working there, and encourage their contributions to local socio-economic development and to bilateral relations more broadly.
For his part, Speaker Gerry Brownlee expressed gratitude for the warm and respectful welcome from the Government and people of Vietnam. He extended congratulations to the Party General Secretary, other leaders and people of Vietnam on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day, and shared his admiration for the vibrant and patriotic atmosphere he witnessed during his visit, reflecting the Vietnamese people's strong national spirit.
The Speaker expressed appreciation for Vietnam’s significant progress and reaffirmed that New Zealand values Vietnam’s key role in Southeast Asia, viewing the country as an important and close partner in the region. He noted that the two countries share many common values, especially in prioritising economic growth alongside social and human development.
The New Zealand Parliament, as the representative body of the people, will actively support efforts to strengthen the friendship between the two nations and deepen cooperation in key areas, he affirmed.
Speaker Brownlee welcomed Vietnamese students, scholars, and researchers to New Zealand and appreciated the positive contributions of the Vietnamese community. He agreed on the need to boost tourism, trade, and investment cooperation, particularly by accelerating the launch of direct flights between the two countries.
Both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation on regional and international issues. General Secretary Lam affirmed that Vietnam is ready to cooperate with and support New Zealand in further enhancing ties with ASEAN, towards upgrading the ASEAN–New Zealand dialogue relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025./.
