At the invitation of New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam To Lam, together with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, will pay a State visit to New Zealand from August 12 to 14, 2026.
On this occasion, Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Phan Minh Giang granted an interview to a reporter from Nhan Dan Newspaper about the significance of the visit and the prospects for bilateral cooperation between Viet Nam and New Zealand in the next phase.
Viet Nam prioritises and attaches great importance to relations with New Zealand
Affirming that Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s State visit to New Zealand is a major foreign policy event of special significance, Ambassador Phan Minh Giang emphasised: This visit is historic as it is the first State visit to New Zealand by a Party General Secretary and State President of Viet Nam. This underscores Viet Nam’s high regard for and priority given to relations with New Zealand — an important and effective Comprehensive Strategic Partner in the region — and thereby reflects Viet Nam’s high regard for the South Pacific region.
According to Ambassador Phan Minh Giang, this is also the first visit by Viet Nam’s top leader to New Zealand since the two countries officially upgraded their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025. The Viet Nam–New Zealand Strategic Partnership was established as the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, against a backdrop of positive and stable bilateral ties, underpinned by a high level of political trust and deepening strategic confidence between the two countries.
“This visit by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam is a clear demonstration of the foreign policy of our Party and State in the new era, namely independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development, and the diversification and multilateralisation of foreign relations, as set out in the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress,” Ambassador Phan Minh Giang emphasised.
Indeed, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s State visit to New Zealand is expected to create new momentum to propel the Viet Nam–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the new era, commensurate with the potential and standing of the two countries.
The visit is expected to deliver more practical benefits and better meet the aspirations of the people and businesses of both countries, helping realise each country’s development goals and contributing positively to a peaceful, stable, and sustainably developing regional and global environment.
Opening a new era of cooperation in Viet Nam–New Zealand relations
Assessing Viet Nam–New Zealand bilateral relations in recent years, particularly since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025, Ambassador Phan Minh Giang asserted that the upgrade had opened a new era of cooperation in Viet Nam–New Zealand relations.
Ambassador Phan Minh Giang noted that bilateral relations have been developing strongly, substantively, and effectively in recent years. This is reflected in the positive results of cooperation between the two countries across a wide range of areas, including the Action Programme for implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2025–2030, which the two sides are actively carrying out across all five pillars.
According to Ambassador Phan Minh Giang, in order to elevate the Viet Nam–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to new heights, the two countries need to translate political commitments into concrete actions that deliver substantive results and practical benefits for the peoples of both countries.
In the coming period, the two countries need to continue consolidating and deepening existing areas of cooperation, while vigoroursly expanding the space for cooperation in new areas with great potential, meeting the needs of both countries in their development processes.
First and foremost, according to the Ambassador, the two sides need to further improve the effectiveness of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and those soon to be established, while deepening political relations and defence and security cooperation, and increasing exchanges of delegations and contacts at all levels through all channels.
In the fields of economy, trade, and investment — among the key pillars of the Viet Nam–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership — Ambassador Phan Minh Giang said there remained considerable potential for cooperation. In order to realise the goal of boosting bilateral trade turnover to 3 billion USD at an early date, the two sides need to coordinate in developing breakthrough measures, alongside efforts to remove technical barriers, facilitate access to each other’s markets for the two countries’ key export products, and make effective use of the free trade agreements to which both countries are parties.
Education and training is a bright spot in Viet Nam–New Zealand relations and should continue to be advanced through diverse and varied forms of cooperation, meeting the demand for high-quality human resources in the new phase of development.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s State visit to New Zealand is a clear demonstration of the foreign policy of our Party and State in the new era, namely independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development, and the diversification and multilateralisation of foreign relations, as set out in the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress.
Phan Minh Giang
Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand
Ambassador Phan Minh Giang said that, as scientific and technological cooperation and climate change response have become new pillars of the Viet Nam–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the two countries need to intensify cooperation in applying and providing solutions in science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation to protect the environment, reduce emissions, promote green transition, smart agriculture, high-tech applications, and climate change adaptation, and develop clean and renewable energy such as wind and solar power, in line with the potential and strengths of each country and meeting their respective needs.
According to Ambassador Phan Minh Giang, one of the important factors contributing to the effective implementation of the Action Programme for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2025–2030 is for the two countries to demonstrate strong determination and soon fulfil the aspiration to open direct air routes and convenient connecting flights, bringing the two countries closer together.
“This will be an important breakthrough, unlocking resources and opening the way for Viet Nam–New Zealand cooperation to achieve breakthroughs across all areas. It will not only help bring the two countries’ political relations closer, strengthen cultural exchanges, and people-to-people ties, but also create greater and more practical opportunities for economic, trade, investment, education, and tourism cooperation, as well as cooperation in many other areas of potential between the two countries,” Ambassador Phan Minh Giang emphasised.
A major source of encouragement for the Vietnamese community in New Zealand
Ambassador Phan Minh Giang said that during the State visit to New Zealand, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam will meet and engage with representatives of the Vietnamese community in New Zealand and the South Pacific island nation. This demonstrates the deep concern of the Party, State, and Party General Secretary and State President personally for Vietnamese people living in New Zealand and the South Pacific island nation.
At the meeting with the Party General Secretary and State President, Vietnamese people living overseas will be updated on the country’s development and the implementation of its strategic policies and decisions, as well as Viet Nam’s socio-economic achievements as the country pursues reform, international integration, and development. The meeting will also provide an opportunity for Vietnamese people overseas to express their feelings, thoughts, aspirations, and valuable views, and contribute ideas for building and investing in the development of their homeland and country.
Affirming that Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s State visit to New Zealand is a major source of encouragement for the Vietnamese community in New Zealand, Ambassador Phan Minh Giang emphasised that the visit follows immediately upon the Politburo issued Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW on work concerning Vietnamese people overseas.
The resolution affirms that Vietnamese people overseas, including Vietnamese people in New Zealand, are an integral part of the Vietnamese ethnic community, one of the country’s important strategic resources contributing to the enhancement of comprehensive national strength, and a bridge between Viet Nam and the world. They are also partners and direct participants in the cause of building, developing and safeguarding the Vietnamese Fatherland.
