Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man held talks with Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (Parliament) Gerry Brownlee in Hanoi on August 28.

Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man (R) welcomes Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (Parliament) Gerry Brownlee in Hanoi on August 28.

The event followed a welcome ceremony for the guest, who is on an official visit to Vietnam from August 27 to 31.

Chairman Man welcomed Speaker Brownlee’s visit, the first high-level trip since the elevation of Vietnam – New Zealand ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

He described this as a new stride in bilateral friendship and cooperation, especially in parliamentary diplomacy, and noted that the visit coincides with Vietnam’s 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day – an event of national significance.

Despite geographical distance, Vietnam and New Zealand are closely linked through economic, cultural, and educational ties, similar ideas and visions, people-to-people exchanges, joint efforts for people's development and happiness, and a shared commitment to contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the Asia-Pacific.

Reflecting on the diplomatic relations established in 1975 and their upgrade to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025, the NA Chairman highlighted progress in economic and trade ties.

By July 2025, bilateral trade reached some 1.05 billion USD, with Vietnam exporting 580 million USD and importing 470 million USD worth of goods from New Zealand. However, he noted these figures still fall short of the full potential.

To deepen cooperation, he proposed the two sides continue enhancing political relations through high-level visits and exchanges, and experience sharing among ministries, sectors, and localities.

He also encouraged more engagement between the two parliaments’ committees, parliamentary friendship groups, and young parliamentarians.

He asked the two foreign ministries to soon finalise an action plan for implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to translate the new framework into tangible outcomes.

Chairman Man also underscored the importance of deepening defence and security cooperation to help safeguard national security in each country and practically contribute to regional and global peace and stability.

He proposed that New Zealand support Vietnam in training and building capacity for Vietnam to participate in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Chairman Man proposed both sides implement groundbreaking measures to reach a trade turnover of 3 billion USD in 2026, with a particular focus on maximising the complementary nature of their goods.

He emphasised the importance of making the most of the benefits of free trade agreements (FTAs) of which both countries are members, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA).

The top Vietnamese legislator highlighted the potential for cooperation in new fields such as green economy, digital economy, and energy transition, which are strengths of New Zealand.

He praised New Zealand's initiative on the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) and expressed his desire to learn from its experience in developing clean agriculture and high-tech industries.

He also proposed expanding collaboration in education, training, labour, and tourism; opening direct air routes to strengthen people-to-people exchanges; and increasing the number of visa quotas for Vietnamese citizens participating in the Working Holiday Maker Programme.

Regarding cooperation between the two parliaments, NA Chairman Man suggested enhancing delegation exchanges, closely coordinating and supporting each other at multilateral parliamentary forums, and sharing legislative and supervision experiences.

For his part, Brownlee extended his heartfelt congratulations to the Government, National Assembly, and people of Vietnam on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the country's National Day (September 2, 1945 - 2025), sharing his admiration for the strong sense of national pride of the Vietnamese people during this significant moment in the country’s history.

The Speaker emphasised the role of the two parliaments in listening to the voices of their people, which in turn helps strengthen people-to-people exchanges and the friendship between the two countries.

He expressed his satisfaction at the increasing high-level and all-level exchanges, as well as the growing warmth in relations between the two countries' people through education, tourism, trade, and investment cooperation.

Appreciating and agreeing with NA Chairman Man’s proposals, he stated that in the current context of regional and global security challenges, the two countries need to deepen their bilateral relationship.

He affirmed that New Zealand is ready to consider increasing the import of Vietnam’s products with competitive advantages into its market, thus helping to raise bilateral trade and soon achieve the target of 3 billion USD.

Both leaders agreed that the two sides should continue to coordinate and support each other at regional and international forums, especially at the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and ASEAN-led forums.

They also emphasised the importance of collaborating and coordinating positions on international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea, in order to contribute to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region.

Chairman Man asserted that Vietnam wishes to make practical contributions to promoting ASEAN-New Zealand relations, including working toward the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Framework between ASEAN and New Zealand and organising a Commemorative Summit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-New Zealand relations in 2025.

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