NA Chairman arrives in Auckland, beginning official visit to New Zealand
Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese legislature arrived at Auckland International Airport in the late afternoon of December 3 (local time), beginning their official visit to New Zealand at the invitation of Speaker of the House of Representatives Adrian Rurawhe.
NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is welcomed at the airport. (Photo: VNA)
Auckland (VNA) – Chairman ofthe National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnameselegislature arrived at Auckland International Airport in the late afternoon of December3 (local time), beginning their official visit to New Zealand at the invitationof Speaker of the House of RepresentativesAdrian Rurawhe.
The delegation was welcomedat the Auckland International Airport byVietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Van Trung, the Vietnamese Embassy’sstaff and representatives of the New Zealand government and Auckland city’s administration.
During the visit from December 3-7, Hue isscheduled to hold talks with Adrian; meetwith senior leaders of New Zealand; attend Vietnam-New Zealand educational andeconomic cooperation forums; meet with the embassy’s staff and representatives ofthe Vietnamese community; and have several other activities.
New Zealand is a strategic partner of Vietnam in South Pacific, withthe bilateral ties growing in different fields. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,the exchange of delegations was suspended during 2021-2022 but high-levelconversations have been still maintained and bilateral cooperation mechanismshave been deployed in both online and offline forms.
The 2021-2024 Action of Plan with New Zealand to realisethe bilateral strategic partnership has seen positive results.
In economic terms, Vietnam and New Zealand areboth members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-PacificPartnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). NewZealand is now the 36th largest trading partner of Vietnam. Two-way tradereached 1.3 billion USD last year, up 26.7% year-on-year. The figure increasedby 13.6% year on year to 1.1 billion USD in the first nine months of this year.
New Zealand also approved the supply of ODA worth26.7 million NZD for Vietnam during 2021-2024, equivalent to the sum in the2018-2021 period. The country also supplied 30,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses and 2million NZD in post-pandemic relief aid to Vietnam.
There remains ample room to further boostcoordination in national defence, security, education-training, labour andagriculture. In particular, the two countries are interested in new cooperationareas such as climate change response, digital transformation and energytransition.
Though few visits were paid due to COVID-19,leaders of the two legislatures still maintained all-level meetings on thesidelines of regional and international conferences.
At regional and gblobal inter-parliamentaryforums, the two countries’ delegations of lawmakers regularly discussed andsupported each other on regional and national issues of mutual concern. The15th Vietnamese NA continued to establish the Vietnam - New Zealand FriendshipParliamentarians’ Group and maintained information exchange with the NewZealand Embassy in Vietnam.
Aiming to deploy the foreign policy of the13th National Party Congress, the visit is of important significanceas it is the first trip to New Zealand bya senior Vietnamese leader since the two countries fully reopened their doors followingthe pandemic and also the first made by Hue in his capacity as Chairman of theVietnamese NA./.
Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern viewed agriculture as a basis for relations with Vietnam while addressing an agriculture connection event (AgriConnectioNZ) in Hanoi on November 15.
A high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly, led by its Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, will pay official visits to Australia and New Zealand from November 30 to December 7 at the invitations of Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Milton Dick, President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines and Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Adrian Rurawhe.
A high-ranking delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by Phan Dinh Trac, Politburo member and Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs, held working sessions with representatives of New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a number of judicial agencies during a visit from November 27-29.
New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Tredene Dobson has highlighted the significance of the visit by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue from December 3-7, saying that she believes it will further demonstrate the mutually beneficial nature of the bilateral relationship and of course further advance the relationship in key areas.
The New Zealand-Vietnam strategic partnership reflects the excellent state of the bilateral relationship between the two countries, said Emeritus Professor Roberto Rabel at the Centre for Strategic Studies under the Victoria University of Wellington.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
The ASEAN flag-hoisting ceremony is observed by the 10 ASEAN member countries on August 8 every year, aiming to spread and promote the ASEAN identity and affirm the determination to unite and cooperate for the common aspiration of long-term peace and prosperity of Southeast Asian countries under the common roof of the ASEAN Community.
NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is welcomed at the airport. (Photo: VNA) 
