To Lam Visit to New Zealand

Vietnam's president and Communist Party general secretary, To Lam, has concluded the first state visit to New Zealand by a Vietnamese head of state since 2007, spending two days in Auckland from 12–13 August at the invitation of Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro.

The visit delivered on the trade ambitions flagged beforehand and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the outcomes would open new opportunities for exporters, strengthen education and security links, and support farmers and health professionals. An agricultural package will expand two-way market access, including for New Zealand honey and deer products and Vietnamese cut flowers and foliage, alongside further support for climate-smart agriculture building on work that has already lifted farmer profits and cut rice emissions by 50 percent. Luxon said the visit had "set a clear direction for the New Zealand-Viet Nam relationship for the decade ahead," adding the two countries were "committed to turning today's agreements into results for people in both countries."

Beyond agriculture, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of several cooperation documents covering peacekeeping, education, agriculture, environment and market access, as well as grant initiatives supporting climate-smart agriculture and the CGIAR Asian Mega-Deltas initiative. One of the signed instruments was a practical arrangement on peacekeeping cooperation between Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense and New Zealand's Ministry of Defence and Defence Force.

The programme

During the visit To Lam met with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, held official bilateral talks with PM Luxon, and met with Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee. He also addressed a Higher Education and Skills Forum and presided over a Business Roundtable.

The delegation was farwelled at Auckland Airport by Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay, Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Grahame Morton, senior MFAT officials, New Zealand's Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford, and Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Phan Minh Giang.

What was agreed

In their talks, Luxon and To Lam agreed to further consolidate political trust, expand economic and trade cooperation and make effective use of shared free trade agreements. On the harder edge of the relationship, the two sides agreed to further promote defence and security cooperation in a more substantive and effective manner, particularly in maritime security, naval ship exchanges, cybersecurity and military medicine, and reached consensus on studying a direct communication mechanism or hotline for dealing with transnational crime.

The joint statement had both leaders reflect on progress since the relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025, reaffirming the strong foundation of the relationship and agreeing to maintain high-level political engagement and cooperation internationally. On climate, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris Agreement, committed to supporting joint initiatives including the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, and pledged support for the transition to net-zero economies. The two leaders also welcomed the growing ties between the two peoples, reflected in expanding education, tourism, business, cultural and community connections.

Context

Vietnamese deputy foreign minister Nguyen Manh Cuong told state media the visit reflected Vietnam's consistent policy of valuing New Zealand as a friendly partner with shared interests in the South Pacific, framing it against Vietnam's priorities in a new development period. Luxon said closer ties with Vietnam would support New Zealand's prosperity and security.

The security dimension flagged as sensitive in the pre-visit reporting surfaced far more explicitly in the outcomes than the original "agriculture and education only" public promotion suggested, with maritime security, naval exchanges and a transnational-crime hotline all named directly in the readouts, alongside the peacekeeping arrangement between the two defence ministries.

Asia Media Centre