At the reception, PM Hung applauded the Ambassador's active contributions since taking office, particularly in coordinating activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and upgrade bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025.

Affirming that Vietnam attaches great importance to its relationship with New Zealand, the host leader expressed his delight at the strong, substantive, and effective development of bilateral ties. This progress stems from the active implementation of the Action Program for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across five key pillars for the 2025-2030 period.

To further strengthen political trust, PM Hung called for thorough preparation for upcoming high-level exchanges, expressing his expectation to welcome his New Zealand counterpart to Vietnam for the APEC 2027 Economic Leaders' Meeting.

Noting the substantial potential in trade and investment, he urged breakthrough measures to soon bring bilateral trade to US$3 billion. He also called for removing technical barriers, facilitating market access for each other's key products, and effectively capitalizing on shared free trade agreements.

The leader sought deeper cooperation in science, technology, innovation, digital and green transformation, and renewable energy. He noted that Vietnam sees science and technology as primary drivers for a new growth model aimed at sustainable economic development.

He also suggested enhancing education and training to develop high-quality human resources, bolstering practical defence and security cooperation, and opening direct flights to step up tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

For her part, Ambassador Beresford congratulated Vietnam on its recent socio-economic achievements. She highlighted that New Zealand regards Vietnam as a key partner in Southeast Asia and stands ready to support the country in achieving its development goals.

The diplomat stated her sustained efforts to advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, particularly in trade, investment, education and training, high-tech agriculture, and science and technology.

Agreeing with the PM's orientations, the Ambassador said she will work closely with Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and localities to prepare for upcoming high-level visits, provide fresh impetus for trade and investment, and accompany Vietnam in promoting its green and digital economies.

Regarding regional and international issues of shared concern, Beresford agreed to strengthen coordination at multilateral forums and reaffirmed ASEAN's centrality and New Zealand's support for Vietnam in successfully hosting APEC 2027.

New Zealand seeks to unlock cooperation potential with Vietnam

New Zealand attaches great importance to developing its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam and stands ready to work closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to unlock the full potential of bilateral cooperation.

New Zealand, Vietnam target US$3 billion in bilateral trade

VOV.VN - Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon have agreed during their telephone talks on May 20 to further expand economic, trade and investment cooperation, aiming for US$3 billion in two-way trade in the time ahead.