Vietnam and New Zealand established diplomatic relations on June 19, 1975. The latter established its embassy in Hanoi in November 1995, while the former opened its embassy in Wellington in February 2003.

Bilateral ties between the two countries have continued to positively develop through the years, particularly in terms of politics, economics, trade, investment, education, training and tourism.

Vietnam and New Zealand have also boosted the exchange of high-ranking delegations. Visits to New Zealand made by then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in November 2005, and State President Nguyen Minh Triet in July 2007 marked new developments in their bilateral friendship.

The two nations have signed several economic-trade and investment cooperation agreements, including the Agreement on Economic and Trade Cooperation, the Agreement on Investment Encouragement and Protection, and the Agreement on Aviation.

Two-way trade between the two countries increased from 187 million USD in 2001 to 313 million USD in 2008. New Zealand primarily exports agricultural products such as cheese, milk, chemicals, and cattle-feed to Vietnam, while importing footwear, furniture, ceramics, garments, and cashew nuts.

On February 28, 2009, New Zealand signed a document officially recognising Vietnam’s market economy. It also inked an agreement to recruit 300 Vietnamese workers.

New Zealand has invested in 14 projects with a total registered capital of 50 million USD in Vietnam, primarily in wood processing, ore exploration and exploitation, beverage production, milk processing, handicrafts, construction and building materials, and hotel and restaurant businesses.

The majority of New Zealand-invested projects are mainly located in Son La, Binh Dinh, and Binh Duong provinces and HCM City.

New Zealand has officially provided non-refundable aid to Vietnam since 1995, with priorities on human resource development, agricultural and rural development, and health and state management. The volume of aid has continuously increased over the years, reaching 7.4 million USD in the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

The country’s several official development assistance (ODA) projects have seen good results in Vietnam.

New Zealand is now home to around 1,500 Vietnamese students. The country’s Victoria University and Auckland University of Technology (AUT) have embarked training cooperation with several Vietnamese universities, including the Hanoi University of Technology, the Hanoi University of Foreign Languages, the Quy Nhon University and the Ho Chi Minh City National University.

The relationship between Vietnam and New Zealand’s Parliaments has constantly developed in recent years, which was marked by a New Zealand visit by then National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An in July 2004. The 12th Vietnamese National Assembly established the Vietnam-Australia and New Zealand Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group and then the New Zealand-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group was also set up in July 2007.

The two countries’ parliaments have strengthened a close and effective coordination at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums.

New Zealand appreciates Vietnam’s role and position in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and wishes that the 86-million country will serve as a bridge between New Zealand and the bloc.

New Zealand has always supported and cooperated with Vietnam at multilateral forums, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), as well as backed the country to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2008-2009 term.

The New Zealand Parliament Speaker’s visit to Vietnam is expected to help bring the bilateral ties to a new level of development for the benefits of the two peoples and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large./.