NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and  the Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Cindy Kiro in Wellington, December 5, 2022. (Photo: VNA)

The two sides agreed that the strategic partnership between Vietnam and New Zealand has been growing, even during the pandemic.

Two-way trade has reached 1.3 million USD and is heading towards the target of 2 billion USD by 2024, they noted, adding that cooperation in agriculture, labour, education and people-to-people exchange has also continued to be promoted. 

Governor-General Kiro underlined that the relationship with Vietnam has a strategic importance to New Zealand. She said that after the pandemic was put under control, 14,000 New Zealand tourists travelled Vietnam and the figure is likely to continue to rise in the time to come.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue speaks at an education forum at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, December 5, 2022.

At an education forum at the University of Waikato in Hamilton earlier the same day, Chairman Hue cited the World Bank’s forecast of about 3.5 million Vietnamese students seeking higher education by 2035, doubling the figure in 2019. 5 billion USD out of nearly 450 billion USD in foreign direct investment in Vietnam has been injected into 500 education projects.

“New Zealand has a world-class education system. Enhancing education cooperation plays a key role in realizing the Vietnam-New Zealand strategic partnership,” said Mr. Hue.

Grant McPherson, Chief Executive of Education New Zealand, said that education has remained a key area of cooperation between the two countries, and that New Zealand attaches importance to the exchange of students. There are about 2,000 Vietnamese students in New Zealand, and about 25 Vietnamese officials are sent to the country each year for training.