Viet Nam

Our relationship with Viet Nam

There has been rapid growth in New Zealand’s relationship with Viet Nam, reflected in the launch of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in February 2025. This announcement coincided with our 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The relationship encompasses engagement through APEC and ASEAN and other multilateral fora, defence visits and training, strong societal and people-to-people ties, International Development Cooperation, and strong trade and economic links. Education, climate change and capability building are also key pillars of the relationship.

Trade and economic

Viet Nam is a fast growing, stable economy. It has seen GDP growth of over 5% each year since 2000 and is on track to reach Upper Middle-Income Country status in 2030. With few trade barriers, a population of over 100 million people and a growing middle class, Viet Nam has been identified as one of the top export growth opportunities for New Zealand.

For more information on Viet Nam as an export market see NZTE’s Viet Nam Market Guide - Collection - myNZTE(external link).

The latest information about New Zealand's trade with Viet Nam is available on the New Zealand Trade Dashboard(external link).

New Zealand and Viet Nam are highly integrated into the regional trade architecture. We are both members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and the following free trade agreements:

• ASEAN-Australia-NZ FTA - AANZFTA
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
• Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

People and culture

Education, tourism, and cuisine are highlights of the people to people links between New Zealand and Viet Nam.

Vietnamese scholars are eligible for the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships Programme(external link) which offers undergraduate and postgraduate tertiary scholarships, thematic short-term training, and vocational/professional short-term training. More information, including availability and application processes, are available here(external link).

Young Vietnamese citizens also have the opportunity to work and study in New Zealand for up to 12 months on a Working Holiday Scheme visa. Information on the Working Holiday Scheme can be found on the Immigration New Zealand website(external link).

The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono(external link) equips New Zealanders to thrive in Asia by providing experiences and resources to build their knowledge, skills and confidence. Their Entrepreneurship programme(external link) takes groups of industry-specific entrepreneurs and business leaders from New Zealand to Asia, and vice versa. The Foundation’s Asia Media Centre(external link) aims to improve the breadth and depth of coverage of Asia issues in the New Zealand media.

Defence and security

New Zealand cooperates with Viet Nam through the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) and niche bilateral support such as military education. We also cooperate on transnational crime, in the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime, and through ASEANAPOL.

Development cooperation and sustainability

New Zealand supports Viet Nam to grow its climate and economic resilience including in the agriculture sector and build resilience to disasters; and develop a more highly skilled and educated workforce.

Expert-to-expert collaboration is a cornerstone of the development cooperation relationship, bringing together the best of both countries and supporting Viet Nam’s goals of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2045.

The remaining challenges for Viet Nam include low development status of rural and ethnic minority peoples, vulnerability to natural disasters, including floods and droughts, and relatively low per capita income for its development level.

Our long-standing development cooperation includes country-specific initiatives, as well as multi-country and regional initiatives, Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships, and as need arises, humanitarian response. Our country-specific development cooperation with Viet Nam is delivered in partnership with Vietnamese organisations and focuses on:

• Agriculture: Increase economic and food security benefits from agriculture and increasing resilience to climate change;
• Resilience: Strengthen resilience to environmental disaster by reducing the risk and impact (economic and human losses) of dam failures and flooding; and
• Education: Improve workforce skills and capabilities.

Learn more about New Zealand’s development cooperation with ASEAN(external link). 

The latest information on our IDC activities, including activity details and descriptions, start and end dates, geographic and sectoral focus, expenditure figures, is available at DevData(external link).

Follow us

Facebook | New Zealand embassy in Ha Noi(external link)

X | (@nzinvietnam) | New Zealand embassy in Ha Noi(external link)

Instagram | @nzinvietnam | New Zealand embassy in Ha Noi(external link)