The then Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presents the New Zealand Prime Minister with an oil painting of her portrait on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Vietnam 2017. Photo: VNA

In an interview with a VOV reporter, Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Van Trung said that the visit has important political significance and is a milestone to comprehensively restart the Vietnam-New Zealand Strategic Partnership.

The two countries have now fully reopened their borders and are reconnecting with the outside after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Van Trung. Photo: VOV

“The Prime Minister of New Zealand choosing Vietnam for her trip to Asia, after attending the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh and ahead of the APEC Summit in Bangkok, shows that New Zealand pays special attention to Asia, especially Southeast Asia. New Zealand values and has high expectations for the Strategic Partnership with Vietnam. It considers Vietnam a country of political stability, dynamic economy, impressive growth, and a potential market that New Zealand businesses need to capitalize on to restore economic growth,” Ambassador Trung said.

Ambassador Trung said he believes the two countries will achieve the goal of 2 billion USD in trade turnover by 2024 as stated in the framework of the Vietnam-New Zealand Strategic Partnership.