Vietnamese and New Zealand businesses participate in a B2B direct connection session to seek business cooperation opportunities.— VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is aiming to become an innovative and reliable partner to New Zealand in the region's supply chain by encouraging the island nation's importers, distributors and retailers to explore collaboration opportunities, according to Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) Lê Hoàng Tài.

Tài made the statement on October 28 at the Việt Nam-New Zealand trade, investment and business promotion conference, which took place within the framework of the Golden Autumn Fair 2025 at the Vietnam Exhibition Centre (VEC) in Đông Anh, Hà Nội.

The event was jointly organised by Vietrade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnam Trade Office in New Zealand and the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council (ANZBC).

The Vietrade deputy director general called on New Zealand businesses to consider investing and cooperating in several key areas. These include exploring more high-quality supply sources from Việt Nam and establishing joint ventures in food processing, sustainable agriculture, cold-chain logistics, clean energy and e-commerce.

More than 20 New Zealand businesses participated in the event, representing diverse sectors such as construction, technology, software, agriculture, healthcare services, education and real estate.

Right after the conference, Vietnamese and New Zealand companies participated in B2B matching sessions to seek opportunities for collaboration. The New Zealand business delegation then toured the Golden Autumn Fair to gain deeper insights into Việt Nam’s products and industries.

The event is considered New Zealand's largest direct trade promotion trip to Việt Nam in the past five years.

Executive Director of the ASEAN-New Zealand Business Council Liz Bell said that the New Zealand business delegation was looking to explore new and emerging areas for cooperation beyond traditional trade links.

“New Zealand has traditionally been strong in food and beverages, and there’s still much more we can do there, especially in food and beverage technology. Working with Việt Nam, we can boost agricultural trade together,” Bell said.

“New Zealand is also very strong in health tech and fintech. I think there are lots of partnerships that we could be making in that area too,” she added.

One Vietnamese participant, Director of Iris International Company Limited Nguyễn Cẩm Uyên, said that the conference served as a platform to exchange market information, policies and partnership opportunities between the two countries.

“I want to take part in the business networking session to seek export promotion opportunities and expand our product’s market reach,” Uyên said.

She noted that foreign markets might require certain certifications, such as organic or GAP standards.

“We source tea from local cooperatives and handle processing and packaging ourselves. We therefore need to carefully study market standards and related documentation to ensure our products can be exported,” she said. “Attending the conference helps me understand what we need to prepare.”

Đỗ Hữu Tùng, first secretary in the Embassy of Việt Nam to New Zealand at the Vietnam Trade Office, said that from October 27 to November 1, the New Zealand delegation would take part in a series of activities in Hà Nội and HCM City, including business dialogues, meetings with officials and participation in the First Vietnam Golden Autumn Fair.

“This trip is not merely a product promotion journey, but a long-term effort demonstrating the commitment to sustainable cooperation between businesses of both countries,” he said.

According to Vietnam Customs, bilateral trade volume between Việt Nam and New Zealand reached over US$1.1 billion in the first nine months of 2025. Of this, Việt Nam’s exports totalled $528 million, while imports stood at $587 million.

Promising areas for cooperation include agriculture, forestry, fisheries, digital technology, green economy, wood processing, construction materials, tourism and education. — VNS