New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford gives an interview to VNA reporters. (Photo: Viet Duc/VNA)
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-New Zealand diplomatic relations (June 19, 1975 - June 19, 2025), New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford gave an interview to VNA reporters.
- On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Vietnam, could the Ambassador share his thoughts on this important milestone?
Ambassador Caroline Beresford: This year we celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Vietnam. It has been a remarkable journey, 50 years of working together to ensure peace and prosperity for our people and our region.
Over the past 50 years, we have continuously cultivated friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding between our two peoples. The seeds sown 50 years ago have now grown into a giant tree with deep roots and strong branches.
We are incredibly proud of the growing partnership between our two countries, which has become so meaningful to our people, our nations, and our Indo- Pacific region. As the Maori saying goes: “Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai” – “Nurture the seed and the fruit will come”. This is truly in keeping with the spirit of this anniversary.
- Bilateral relations between the two countries have made proud progress in recent years. Could you review some important historical milestones over the past 50 years?
Ambassador Caroline Beresford: New Zealand and Vietnam officially established diplomatic relations in 1975. Since then, our relationship has grown steadily. In 1993, Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet visited New Zealand for the first time. In 1995, New Zealand opened an embassy in Hanoi. In 2003, Vietnam opened an embassy in Wellington.
In 2009, the two countries' diplomatic relations were upgraded to Comprehensive Partnership and just 11 years later, in 2020, the two countries continued to upgrade to Strategic Partnership. And most recently, in February 2025, the two countries established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership - one of the leading bilateral frameworks in international relations, showing that our relationship has been pioneering, developing rapidly, substantially and effectively.
- Vietnam and New Zealand have now reached the highest level of diplomatic relations. What does this mean, Ambassador, and what areas of cooperation are the two countries prioritizing?
Ambassador Caroline Beresford: The upgrade to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership demonstrates the strength of the relationship between our two countries. We are building a deep and lasting partnership, based on shared interests, similar approaches to international affairs and respect for international law.
We understand that the strengths of our two countries are complementary and believe that extensive cooperation will help enhance cultural understanding, foster trust, bring prosperity and contribute to regional stability.
Representatives of ASEAN member countries and New Zealand attend the Joint Cooperation Committee meeting. (Photo: VNA)
Current priority areas of cooperation include:
In terms of trade and economics, we are seeing strong growth in bilateral trade. Vietnam is now New Zealand's 14th largest trading partner.
We are on track to reach $3 billion in annual trade by 2026, as set by our two Prime Ministers. It is great to see safe, high-quality New Zealand food and drink on Vietnamese shelves.
People-to-people and education exchanges are the real drivers of our partnership. More and more Vietnamese students are studying in New Zealand, at our world-class institutions. They are true ambassadors for both countries and the future of this relationship.
Many Vietnamese also travel to New Zealand to experience our famous "manaakitanga" - hospitality, while many New Zealanders also come to Vietnam to explore your beautiful country.
In the area of development cooperation, through its development cooperation programmes, New Zealand is contributing expertise in a wide range of areas, including agriculture, disaster management, climate change, education and supporting vulnerable communities in Vietnam.
For example, the New Zealand Government has funded the Vietnam-New Zealand Dam Safety Project, in which New Zealand and Vietnamese experts have conducted assessments, agreed on standards and provided training to improve dam safety.
In addition, the New Zealand-Vietnam Health Trust has also sent delegations to Vietnam since 1997 to work with the Binh Dinh provincial medical team in areas such as orthopedics, neonatology, hematology, nursing training and mental health.
We have also strengthened our political ties, deepened our defence and security cooperation, and maintained regular high-level exchanges. In 2024, we were delighted to welcome Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to New Zealand and our Prime Minister, the Honourable Christopher Luxon, to Vietnam in February 2025. These visits marked the official start of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations.
- In addition to bilateral cooperation, the two countries also actively coordinate at multilateral forums. Could the Ambassador elaborate on this cooperation?
Ambassador Caroline Beresford: Yes, New Zealand and Vietnam have close cooperation in global mechanisms such as ASEAN+, APEC, ASEM. We are also active members of a number of important regional trade agreements, including the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (ANZFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). These agreements bring many benefits to both sides.
Together, we support and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in our shared Indo-Pacific region. We work together to uphold the international order and protect the principles of international law. There are opportunities for both countries to enhance cooperation and coordination in international and regional forums.
- The Ambassador mentioned the “people-to-people” element as a key driver of the relationship. What has New Zealand done to strengthen this aspect and how does the Ambassador envision the future of this relationship?
Ambassador Caroline Beresford: The friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and New Zealand is an invaluable asset to the people of both countries. As I have said, it is the connections between our peoples that truly drive our partnership.
We enhance this through education scholarships, enabling Vietnamese students to study in New Zealand and become “ambassadors” for the relationship. We also encourage tourism exchanges, helping people from both countries experience each other’s cultures and people.
Over the past 50 years, we have achieved much together. The New Zealand Government has a clear vision: we want to build a closer, stronger and more comprehensive relationship with Vietnam. I believe that the future holds even greater potential for both countries. We will continue to explore new opportunities for cooperation for our shared prosperity and security.
As another Maori proverb reminds us of the importance of standing together towards the future: “Ko nga pae tāwhiti whaia kia tata - Ko nga pae tata whakamaua kia tina" - “The potential for tomorrow is determined by our actions today”. We look forward to our two countries taking the next 50 years together.
- Thank you very much Ambassador Caroline Beresford!./.
(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-new-zealand-hat-giong-huu-nghi-50-nam-truoc-vuon-minh-thanh-dai-thu-post1045130.vnp
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