New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (left) welcomes Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to visit New Zealand in March 2024. (Photo: Embassy of Vietnam in New Zealand)

In its official statement, the New Zealand Government Office quoted Prime Minister Luxon as describing Vietnam as a "rising star" in Southeast Asia and one of the region’s fastest-growing economies.

As the two nations celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2024, his visit is expected to deepen bilateral ties, expand trade, and create new opportunities for New Zealand’s businesses, increasing incomes and generating jobs for New Zealand’s people. Luxon emphasized the untapped potential in economic cooperation, stating that both countries could work towards increasing two-way trade to 3 billion USD by 2026.

Ms. Liz Bell, Executive Director of the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council

Speaking with a VOV correspondent in Australia, Ms. Liz Bell, Executive Director of the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council, said: "From New Zealand’s perspective, we are obviously very strong and have been for a number of years and have value added in the food and beverage sector. But we also looking at a lot of services as well and expand cooperation in climate change, renewables and infrastructure, science and technology sectors, which I think very complimentary and we have a lot of scope there to increase. I certainly would expect coming from this visit that the leaders will be giving businesses some very high targets to try and so we look forward to meeting that challenge."

During his stay, Prime Minister Luxon is scheduled to meet with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and other senior leaders, reinforcing the Strategic Partnership between the two nations. He will also attend the ASEAN Future Forum in Hanoi and visit Ho Chi Minh City as part of his itinerary.