New Zealand looks forward to building on the achievements made and further promoting cooperation with Vietnam in the coming years, said Deputy Secretary of the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Grahame Morton.
The state visit to New Zealand by Party General Secretary and President To Lam has opened the door to cooperation, and the key task now is turning that opportunity into a pathway for people, students, scientists, and businesses to move forward together.
The top Vietnamese leader’s state visit to New Zealand has generated fresh momentum for deeper bilateral ties, bringing practical benefits to Vietnamese and New Zealand people and businesses while contributing positively to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.
Reports, articles and assessments published on August 12-13 highlighted that Vietnam-New Zealand relations are shifting strongly from high-level political commitments to concrete cooperation programmes, with a focus on trade, investment, education, agriculture, science and technology, defence and security, and climate change response.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam, and New Zealand Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro visited an exhibition featuring works by renowned Māori photographer Fiona Pardington in Auckland on August 13, as part of the former’s state visit to New Zealand.
Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Gerry Brownlee welcomed the state visit by the Vietnamese leader and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, stressing that it will further deepen the Vietnam–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across various fields, ushering bilateral ties into a new, more profound, substantive and effective phase.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung held a phone conversation with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on May 20 at the Government headquarters in Hanoi.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung proposed six major orientations for future collaboration, including further strengthening political trust through increased delegation exchanges, high-level contacts and bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and promoting more substantive defence and security cooperation through enhanced exchanges and stronger naval and maritime security capabilities.
The Vietnamese Students’ Association in Wellington (VSAW) has been commended for initiating and maintaining the Vietnam Day as an annual event that brings together the Vietnamese community in Wellington and across New Zealand to honour and spread the Vietnamese cultural identity while fostering mutual understanding and exploring new avenues for bilateral cooperation.
Chairman Man welcomed Speaker Brownlee’s visit, the first high-level trip since the elevation of Vietnam – New Zealand ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
On the morning of August 28, New Zealand House Speaker Gerry Brownlee and a high-ranking delegation laid a wreath and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum. It was here, on September 2, 1945, that President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, founding the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Gerry Brownlee expressed hope and confidence that his visit to Vietnam from August 27 to 31, at the invitation of Vietnamese NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, will succeed in further strengthening the countries' Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Since the 2005 Joint Declaration of Cooperation, their relations have been upgraded to a Comprehensive Partnership (2009), a Strategic Partnership (2020), and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in February 2025. This marks not only a diplomatic milestone but also reflects growing strategic trust and political commitment as both countries enter a new phase of collaboration.
Other prominent New Zealand news outlets, including rnz.co.nz, 1news.co.nz, and scoop.co.nz, also featured the announcement, highlighting the elevation of the bilateral relationship.
Party General Secretary To Lam highly valued the Joint Statement on upgrading bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, saying that this milestone reflects the remarkable progress and profound mutual trust between Vietnam and New Zealand.
New Zealand’s former Ambassador to Vietnam James Kember expressed his eagerness for PM Christopher Luxon’s visit to Vietnam, explaining that high-level bilateral visits are a direct and meaningful way to recognise and strengthen the value each side places on the relationship.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception for the new Ambassador of New Zealand, Caroline Beresford, in Hanoi on August 13.
