The meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà and Australia's Assistant Minister of Energy and Climate Change Josh Wilson. VNA/VNS Photo

SYDNEY  — Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà paid official visits to New Zealand and Australia from November 20–25, aiming to deepen substantive cooperation with these key Oceania partners.

In New Zealand, the Deputy PM met with Speaker of the House of Representatives Gerry Brownlee, held talks with Deputy PM David Seymour, met with Minister of State for Trade and Investment and Associate Minister for Agriculture Nicola Grigg, and Minister of Environment Penny Simmons.

He also visited the Earth Science New Zealand.

In Australia, Hà held meetings with President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines; Deputy PM and Minister of Defence Richard Marles; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chair of the Australia–Việt Nam Parliamentarians’ Group Sharon Claydon; and worked with Minister of Resources Madeleine King, Minister of Environment and Water Murray Watt, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite, and Assistant Minister of Energy and Climate Change Josh Wilson.

He also met Australia’s Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Tony Haymet, visited the Australian National University (ANU), and attended the opening of the Việt Nam Policy Centre at ANU and the Việt Nam–Australia Science and Technology Forum, as well as the launch of the VietNEST online Vietnamese language learning platform. He also met with businesses operating in the fields of agriculture and mining.

During the meetings with leaders in both countries, Hà briefed them on recent storms and floods in Việt Nam and sought continued support from New Zealand and Australia in overcoming the aftermaths of the natural disasters, as well as in environmental and climate change cooperation.

In response, the New Zealand Government announced an aid grant of NZD3 million (US$1.7 million), while Australia pledged a total of AUD3.8 million ($2.46 million) to support Việt Nam's flood recovery efforts.

The senior leaders of both countries highly valued their cooperative relations with Việt Nam and highlighted the historical significance of upgrading ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships in March 2024 (Australia) and February 2025 (New Zealand).

They welcomed the timely implementation of Action Programmes to operationalise these partnerships, encompassing practical and concrete cooperation.

Both sides agreed to actively exchange high-level visits, implement concrete measures to further enhance co-operation in economy, investment, trade, defence, security, tourism, culture, education and training, and foster collaboration between civic and business organisations of the two countries.

The two sides stressed the need for closer economic linkages, more effective trade and investment collaboration, and accelerated the signing of agreements to facilitate market access for each other’s agricultural products, diversify supply chains, and achieve higher trade and investment targets.

Hs welcomed enterprises from both sides to strengthen connections, affirming Việt Nam’s commitment to create a favourable investment environment for New Zealand and Australian businesses, particularly for high-quality, technologically advanced projects.

He also shared Việt Nam’s development priorities in the new era, including strategic infrastructure projects in railways, airports, energy, and digital transformation. The Australian leaders noted increasing interest from Australian investment funds in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, and plans to expand activities to seize new cooperation opportunities.

The Deputy PM appreciated the roles of New Zealand and Australia in promoting global environmental and climate action, thanking both countries for significant ODA support, including disaster risk reduction, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation projects in the Mekong Delta.

Both sides agreed to pursue breakthroughs in science and technology, digital transformation and green transition, agriculture, and climate change adaptation, including sharing experience in developing action programmes to reduce emissions and create carbon credit markets.

New Zealand and Australia committed to continue providing financial, technological, and knowledge support for Việt Nam to meet international climate commitments, advance energy transition and renewable energy, and develop clean, environmentally friendly mining technologies.

Acknowledging the importance of people-to-people exchanges in strengthening the bilateral ties, the leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in education and training, human resource development, labour, and tourism; support direct flights between the countries; and encourage local administrations and major universities to build stronger connections.

Ha also called on New Zealand and Australia to increase the number of scholarships for Vietnamese students and create favourable conditions for the growing Vietnamese community to live, study, and work in the countries. — VNS