PM Phuc arrives in Auckland, starting official visit to NZ

They were accompanied by a high-level Vietnamese delegation.

They were welcomed by New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Wendy Matthews and Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Viet Dung, among others.

As scheduled, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Andern will chair an official ceremony to welcome Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse on March 13. 

Afterwards, PM Phuc will have bilateral meetings with leaders from New Zealand and Auckland city in particular. He is due to meet with the Vietnamese community in the host country.

The PM will attend the Vietnam-New Zealand business forum, receive some New Zealand’s big businesses, and visit several local research facilities.

The cooperation between Vietnam and New Zealand has developed rapidly and strongly in recent years since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties in 1975.

The two sides issued a joint statement agreeing to strengthen and deepen the bilateral comprehensive partnership and look toward to strategic partnership.

Two-way trade has increased through years with an average level of around 20 percent per year. In 2016, the bilateral trade reached approximately US$707 million. At present, nearly 3,000 Vietnamese students are studying in New Zealand.

Auckland is the biggest city of New Zealand with cultural diversity. In 2017, close to 29,000 New Zealand tourists arrived in Vietnam for studying and travelling.