General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam Tô Lâm will pay state visits to Australia and New Zealand during August 9 – 14. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee and President of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam Tô Lâm and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation will pay state visits to Australia and New Zealand from August 9 – 14.

The visits will be made at the invitations of Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn and Governor-General of New Zealand Cindy Kiro.

Regarding Việt Nam–Australia relations, senior leaders of the two countries maintain regular high-level exchanges. Most recently, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a phone call with Party General Secretary & President Tô Lâm on April 24 to congratulate him on the new position. Australia’s Governor-General, Prime Minister, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives also sent congratulatory messages following the election of Việt Nam’s new senior leadership.

The two countries maintain more than 20 bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including annual meetings between the two prime ministers, foreign ministers and defence ministers, as well as the Economic Partnership Meeting and extensive sub-national cooperation.

Two-way trade reached US$14 billion in 2025, with Việt Nam’s exports rising 5.6 per cent year-on-year to US$6.8 billion, while imports fell 5.3 per cent to US$7.2 billion.

Australia is currently Việt Nam’s seventh-largest trading partner, while Việt Nam ranks as Australia’s tenth-largest. Australia has opened its market to Vietnamese lychees, mangoes, dragon fruit, longans, passion fruit, pomelos and frozen shrimp. Việt Nam, meanwhile, allows imports of seven Australian fruits, including oranges, mandarins, cherries, grapes, peaches, nectarines and blueberries.

As of May 31, Australian investors had 734 valid projects in Việt Nam with total registered capital exceeding US$1.9 billion, ranking 22nd among 154 foreign investors. Vietnamese businesses have 101 investment projects in Australia, with total registered capital of US$554.7 million.

Australia remains one of Việt Nam’s largest bilateral providers of grant-based official development assistance (ODA). Despite economic challenges, Canberra has continued increasing aid, contributing more than A$3 billion since diplomatic ties were established.

Education cooperation continues to expand. In 2026, nearly 25,000 Vietnamese students are studying in Australia, making Việt Nam the fourth-largest source of international students. Since 2015, more than 6,000 Australian students have travelled to Việt Nam under the New Colombo Plan.

In Việt Nam–New Zealand relations, New Zealand consistently regards Việt Nam as a key partner in its engagement with the Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Việt Nam is New Zealand’s 12th-largest trading partner, accounting for 2.1 per cent of its total trade, while New Zealand ranks 41st among Việt Nam’s trading partners.

Bilateral trade reached US$1.5 billion in 2025, up 15.8 per cent from 2024. Việt Nam’s exports totalled US$711 million, an increase of 3.4 per cent, while imports from New Zealand rose 29.8 per cent to US$784 million. Trade in the first six months of 2026 reached US$844.4 million, up 14.6 per cent year-on-year.

Việt Nam has opened its market to New Zealand products including table potatoes, frozen beef, kiwifruit, apples, pumpkins and strawberries. New Zealand has approved imports of Vietnamese mangoes, dragon fruit, rambutans, limes and pomelos. Việt Nam is seeking market access for durian, cut flowers, passion fruit and lychees, while New Zealand is urging faster approval for pears, honey, venison and deer meat.— VNA/VNS