Auckland, August 13, 2026 — The Europe Today: General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việtnam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon witnessed the exchange of a series of cooperation documents between the two countries following their talks in Auckland on Thursday, marking further progress in the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Speaking at a joint press briefing, Prime Minister Luxon said President Tô Lâm’s state visit had produced highly positive results and contributed to advancing the longstanding friendship between Việtnam and New Zealand in a substantive and effective manner.
Luxon welcomed Việtnam’s socio-economic development achievements and highlighted the continued expansion of bilateral cooperation, particularly in education and agriculture. He expressed hope that businesses from both countries would increase investment and cooperation, especially in high-quality human-resource development, science and technology, agriculture and environmental protection.
President Tô Lâm said the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Việt Nam and New Zealand was being further strengthened on the basis of mutual trust, shared visions and significant opportunities for cooperation.
He said the two sides had agreed to increase exchanges at all levels and promote practical measures to translate high-level commitments into concrete results. The leaders also agreed to make strong progress in trade and investment cooperation and create favourable conditions to achieve the bilateral trade target of US$3 billion at an early date.
Agriculture, environmental protection, and science and technology were identified as important areas of cooperation aligned with the development priorities of both countries. The two sides agreed to promote a green, low-emission economy, strengthen climate-change adaptation and develop model projects in sustainable agriculture and development.
President Tô Lâm expressed appreciation for New Zealand’s practical support for climate-change adaptation in agriculture in Việtnam’s Mekong Delta.
The two countries also agreed to expand cooperation in education and training, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, with particular emphasis on developing high-quality human resources. They also encouraged efforts to establish direct air services between Việtnam and New Zealand.
On regional and international issues, the two leaders agreed to strengthen coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, contribute to an inclusive and rules-based international order, and promote a peaceful and secure environment conducive to development.
They also reaffirmed the importance of peacefully resolving disputes in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
President Tô Lâm welcomed New Zealand’s active role in regional and international mechanisms and affirmed Việt Nam’s support for efforts to make ASEAN–New Zealand relations more substantive and effective while upholding ASEAN centrality.
During the ceremony, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of several cooperation documents between ministries and agencies of the two countries.
These included an implementation arrangement on peacekeeping cooperation involving the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force; an educational cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the New Zealand Ministry of Education; and a memorandum of understanding on agriculture and environmental cooperation.
The leaders also witnessed the exchange of a market-access package between Việtnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, as well as letters concerning announced grants for the CGIAR Asian Mega Deltas Initiative and the ASEAN Climate Smart Agriculture Initiative.
The exchange of the documents is expected to provide additional momentum for practical cooperation between Việtnam and New Zealand across economic, agricultural, environmental, educational, defence and other priority sectors, further strengthening their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
