During the visit, the delegation paid courtesy calls on Speaker of the House of Representatives Gerry Brownlee; held talks with Tim Van de Molen, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee; and met with Paulo Garcia and Jenny Salesa, Co-Chairs of the Inter Parliamentary Friendship Group for South & Southeast Asia. The delegation also held discussions with Deputy Secretary of Defence Policy and Planning Richard Schmidt and the manager of South and Southeast Asia Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Wellington.

The New Zealand leaders welcomed Toi’s visit, noting its significance as both countries are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations. They affirmed their desire to expand cooperation with Vietnam and the Vietnamese National Assembly in a wide range of areas, including defence and security, especially amid the current complex global landscape.

Speaker Brownlee expressed confidence that his upcoming visit to Vietnam from August 27 to 31, at the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, would further consolidate the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

For his part, Toi reaffirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to its relations with New Zealand, noting that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has been developing strongly across multiple sectors. He proposed that the two sides accelerate the adoption of an Action Programme for 2025–2030 to implement the partnership, and looked forward to the Speaker’s visit to Vietnam to further strengthen parliamentary ties.

In a warm and constructive atmosphere, both sides reached common understanding on the importance of enhancing cooperation and deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as well as on regional and international issues of mutual concern. They agreed to promote more high-level exchanges, including between parliamentary leaders and committees, to build political trust and create momentum for broader cooperation. The two sides also encouraged businesses to expand trade and investment ties.

Discussions focused on measures to raise two-way trade to US$3 billion in 2026, as agreed by leaders of both countries. Both sides also showed interest in establishing a direct flight route between Vietnam and New Zealand to boost trade, investment, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Toi called on New Zealand to facilitate market access for Vietnamese goods such as fabric, longan, and pomelo, while welcoming New Zealand’s continued support for Vietnam in agriculture, climate change response, innovation, and healthcare. He also affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to create favourable conditions for New Zealand businesses investing in clean agriculture and other areas of strength.

The two sides welcomed positive outcomes in defence and security cooperation and agreed to strengthen collaboration in peacekeeping training, English language training, the defence industry, and the maintenance of ministerial-level defence dialogues.

At a meeting with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy, Ambassador Phan Minh Giang reported on political, economic, and cultural diplomacy achievements, as well as the Vietnamese community in New Zealand. He proposed the development of an online Vietnamese language learning programme for overseas communities.

Toi praised the embassy’s achievements, highlighted the unity of the Vietnamese community, and encouraged the staff to continue promoting Vietnam’s image while supporting overseas Vietnamese in preserving their language, culture, and national identity, as well as contributing to the development of their homeland.

New Zealand House Speaker Gerry Brownlee to visit Vietnam

Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (Parliament) Gerry Brownlee will pay an official visit to Vietnam from August 27 to 31.