Clear direction for New Zealand–Vietnam relationship, says Luxon after Tô Lâm state visit

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says there is clear direction for the relationship between New Zealand and Vietnam following a state visit by Vietnamese President Tô Lâm, the first by a Vietnamese president since 2007.

Tô Lâm, who has been Vietnam's president since April and General Secretary of the Communist Party since 2024, began a three-day state visit to New Zealand on the evening of 12 August 2026, local time, according to Vietnamese state media VNA. The visit formed part of a broader diplomatic tour covering both Australia and New Zealand, scheduled from 9 to 14 August, per the Vietnamese government Reuters. The New Zealand government confirmed Tô Lâm would arrive in Auckland on 12 August and depart the following day The Diplomat. He met with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro in Auckland on 13 August, local time VietnamPlus.

Luxon and Tô Lâm held talks on Thursday, after which Luxon described Tô Lâm as "probably the most powerful leader in Vietnam, I'd say, since Hồ Chí Minh." The two leaders witnessed the exchange of cooperation documents during the visit VietnamPlus.

The visit builds on last year's upgrade of the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which coincided with 50 years of diplomatic relations. Luxon visited Vietnam last year and called on Tô Lâm in Hanoi at that time.

Vietnam is New Zealand's 13th largest trading partner. Two-way trade was valued at $3.41 billion in the year to March 2026, an increase of 72 percent over five years. Dairy, fruit, and wood are New Zealand's biggest exports to Vietnam. Its biggest imports from Vietnam include electrical equipment, travel, footwear, and machinery.

The relationship upgrade has opened specific new market access. New Zealand can now sell more honey, deer velvet, and venison to Vietnam, while gaining access to more Vietnamese flowers and foliage, including carnations, daisies, orchids, and lilies. During the visit, the two countries signed a fresh memorandum of arrangement to increase cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry.

A joint statement released by Luxon and Tô Lâm recognised the elimination of non-tariff barriers to enhance the impacts of their free trade arrangements for businesses and consumers. The two countries also established a new vice ministerial security dialogue and new funding to tackle transnational and organised crime in the Mekong region.

Luxon described Vietnam as "a rising star of Asia" and said there were huge opportunities for the countries to work closer together. He also framed the relationship as evidence of the "massive diversification" countries were undertaking to look elsewhere for trading partners, amid US tariffs affecting both Vietnam and New Zealand.

The security and trade tracks advanced during this visit reflect a relationship that has moved well beyond its historical baseline. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is the highest tier of Vietnam's bilateral relationships, and the vice ministerial security dialogue adds a dimension that has not previously featured prominently in the New Zealand–Vietnam framework. The Mekong region funding commitment, in particular, signals Wellington is looking to embed itself in Southeast Asian security architecture beyond its traditional ASEAN engagement.

The tariff context Luxon pointed to is worth noting. Both New Zealand and Vietnam are export-oriented economies exposed to US trade policy shifts, and the push to deepen bilateral ties operates alongside existing multilateral structures, including the CPTPP and RCEP, of which both countries are members. The non-tariff barrier workstream in the joint statement speaks to the practical frustration exporters face even where free trade agreements exist on paper.