The visit is seen as a historic milestone, marking the first state visit to New Zealand by a Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President. It is also the first visit by Viet Nam’s top leader since the two countries upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025.
Taking place right after Viet Nam and New Zealand celebrated the 51st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (June 19, 1975 - 2026), the visit offers the two countries’ top leaders an opportunity to identify strategic priorities for cooperation and explore new areas of collaboration, further deepening and expanding the bilateral ties.
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General Secretary and State President To Lam (Photo: VNA) |
Fifty-one years ago, New Zealand was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam after the country’s reunification. Over the past five decades, the bilateral relationship has been steadily strengthened and expanded, reaching a series of important milestones. The two countries established a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009, upgraded their relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2020, and became Comprehensive Strategic Partners in February 2025 during New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s official visit to Viet Nam.
The bilateral relationship has continued to deepen through regular exchanges of delegations and high-level contacts, along with the effective operation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Viet Nam and New Zealand also work closely together at regional and international forums to which both belong, jointly contributing to efforts to address common regional challenges.
Economic, trade and investment ties have continued to be strengthened, with bilateral trade recording steady growth in recent years. According to the Viet Nam Customs, two-way trade reached USD 1.5 billion in 2025, up 15.8% from 2024. In the first six months of 2026, trade turnover stood at USD 844.4 million, rising 14.6% year-on-year. Viet Nam is now New Zealand’s 12th-largest trading partner, accounting for about 2.1% of its total trade, while New Zealand ranks as Viet Nam’s 41st-largest trading partner.
As members of both the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Viet Nam and New Zealand share a commitment to free, fair, and rules-based trade. Viet Nam’s rapidly expanding economy, large consumer market and deepening international integration complement New Zealand’s strengths in high-tech agriculture and renewable energy, creating significant scope for broader cooperation.
In the defense and security sectors, the two sides have maintained delegation exchanges and strategic dialogues. They collaborate on capacity building for U.N. peacekeeping operations and enhance coordination within the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) and other multilateral frameworks.
New Zealand maintains stable Official Development Assistance (ODA) for Viet Nam through meaningful development projects while promoting ties in mutual areas of interest such as agriculture, science and technology, and climate change adaptation. Notably, education is a bright spot in bilateral relations, with Viet Nam ranking fifth in the number of international students in New Zealand, currently having around 2,000 students there.
These positive achievements have stemmed from a high level of political trust and increasingly consolidated strategic confidence between the two nations. Given the favorable momentum, there is a strong belief that the upcoming state visit to New Zealand by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam will be highly successful, creating fresh impetus to elevate the Viet Nam - New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to new heights in the coming period.
Translated by Minh Anh