Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the Lunar New Year 2026, the ambassador described 2025 as “the most extraordinary year” in the history of bilateral relations, marked by deeper institutional cooperation, expanding business engagement and growing people-to-people exchanges.

“For New Zealand, 2025 was a really exciting experience,” she said, recalling a packed calendar of high-level exchanges, including a visit by the New Zealand Prime Minister, two trade delegations, a visit by the Foreign Minister, and the Speaker of Parliament. These were accompanied by numerous cultural, educational and diplomatic activities to mark what she described as a “really important year” for bilateral ties.

What surprised her most, however, was the speed with which the upgraded relationship translated into concrete cooperation. “We saw an immediate uptick in engagement with Vietnam, which shows that the comprehensive strategic partnership is really going to be something that has real substance, not just a political announcement,” she said.

One notable example was the first-ever legal dialogue between officials of the two countries, focusing on multilateral cooperation, the law of the sea and areas where Vietnam and New Zealand see strong synergies. According to the ambassador, working together in such areas allows both countries to strengthen their voices on regional and global issues.

The partnership has also energised government agencies and businesses. Beresford said New Zealand enterprises are showing strong interest in expanding their presence in Vietnam, viewing it as a dynamic, creative and increasingly prosperous market with discerning consumers.

“I am fielding constant inquiries from New Zealand businesses about how they can do more here,” she said, adding that similar interest from Vietnamese companies is likely to emerge in the coming months. With almost no tariffs between the two countries thanks to high-quality free trade agreements, she stressed that the key task now is to help businesses understand each other’s markets and gain a firm foothold.

Looking ahead to the target of reaching US$3 billion in two-way trade in 2026, the ambassador expressed optimism, particularly in sectors such as agritech and renewable energy services. She pointed out that tariff barriers between the two sides are already minimal, and the main challenges lie in regulatory systems rather than trade policy.

“A lot of the work that my team’s doing now is to help support Vietnam to improve its regulatory system, so that quicker decisions can be made on trading in new goods,” she said. While New Zealand products such as dairy and horticulture, including cherries currently popular during the Lunar New Year – already have a strong presence in Vietnam, she emphasised the need for faster regulatory approvals to allow new products to enter the market.

Reflecting on Vietnam’s recent 14th National Party Congress, Beresford said she was impressed by the discipline, coherence and effective communication surrounding the event. She praised Vietnam for clearly conveying both to its people and the international community the outcomes and direction set by the Congress.

Vietnam’s socio-economic development over recent decades, she said, has been “extraordinary,” particularly in lifting large numbers of people out of poverty through strong leadership. Looking ahead, she expressed confidence that Vietnam is poised to reach “the next level of its potentials,” guided by clear goals, including becoming an upper-middle-income country in the coming decades.

As Vietnam prepares to welcome the Year of the Horse – a symbol of speed, strength and perseverance – the ambassador said the image resonates perfectly with the current state of bilateral relations. She noted the horse is very much part of New Zealand's culture. Rural communities in the country still travel by horse. It's not long ago since people would have seen horses tethered outside primary schools where children would come and go.

“So I think it's a perfectly appropriate symbol, this magnificent, strong creature with so much potential to go faster and to really embed Vietnam in the international order as a player with a strong voice,” she said.

Beresford congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in 2025 and expressed confidence that even more would be accomplished in 2026.

“Happy New Year to all of the Vietnamese people. Chuc mung nam moi!” she said.

Vietnam strengthens practical cooperation with New Zealand, Australia

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha paid official visits to New Zealand and Australia from November 20–25, aiming to deepen substantive cooperation with these key Oceania partners.