During his stay, Prime Minister Luxon will visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, accompanied by a delegation of top New Zealand business leaders.

Ahead of his visit, Luxon expressed enthusiasm about the growing Vietnam-New Zealand relationship:

"Vietnam is a rising star in Southeast Asia, one of the region’s fastest-growing economies. This year marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between our two nations. My visit will energize our ties, strengthen bilateral trade, and open up new business opportunities," Luxon stated.

Strengthening trade and economic ties

Trade between Vietnam and New Zealand has grown 40% over the past five years, but Luxon sees further potential. He reaffirmed his commitment to working with Vietnamese leaders to reach a bilateral trade target of $3 billion by 2026.

With Vietnam’s rapid economic expansion (averaging over 5% annual GDP growth for more than two decades) and a population exceeding 100 million, Luxon highlighted the agriculture, food, beverage, and education sectors as areas of particular opportunity for New Zealand businesses.

Luxon and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will hold discussions on enhancing the Vietnam-New Zealand Strategic Partnership, which was established in 2020.

ASEAN Future Forum 2025

The ASEAN Future Forum 2025, taking place on February 25-26 in Hanoi, will focus on the theme:
"Building a united, inclusive, and resilient ASEAN in a changing world."

The forum will feature 12 key sessions, including:

A high-level plenary session

Five panel discussions

A gala dinner

A working luncheon

Several high-ranking leaders have confirmed attendance, including:

Prime Minister of Malaysia

President of Timor-Leste

Prime Minister of New Zealand

ASEAN Secretary-General

10 deputy prime ministers, ministers, or equivalent-level officials

A deepening Vietnam-New Zealand partnership

New Zealand views Vietnam as a key partner in its Asia-Pacific strategy. Diplomatic relations were established on June 19, 1975, and bilateral trade has steadily increased.

As of February 2025:

Vietnam is New Zealand’s 12th largest trading partner

Vietnam ranks 12th as an exporter to New Zealand and **18th as an importer of New Zealand goods

New Zealand is Vietnam’s 41st largest trading partner

New Zealand also provides Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Vietnam, with funding increasing annually.

Expanding cooperation across multiple sectors

Education: New Zealand and Vietnam have strong academic partnerships, with New Zealand institutions welcoming Vietnamese students.

Security & Defense: New Zealand supports Vietnam in counter-terrorism training, forensic science, cybercrime prevention, and anti-money laundering initiatives.

Agriculture & Trade: Vietnam has opened its market to New Zealand potatoes, beef, kiwifruit, apples, pumpkins, and strawberries. New Zealand has reciprocated by accepting Vietnamese mangoes, dragon fruit, rambutans, lemons, and pomelos.

Ongoing negotiations may further expand access to honey, pears, venison, and flowers.

Luxon’s visit is expected to further strengthen trade, investment, and diplomatic cooperation between the two nations.

Tran Thuong