HCMC – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrived in Hanoi this morning, starting her four-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, reported the Vietnam news agency.
She was greeted at the Noi Bai International Airport in Noi Bai by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Minh Hoan, and the Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Minh Vu.
The official welcoming ceremony and bilateral talks took place this afternoon at the Presidential Palace and the Government Office, chaired by PM Pham Minh Chinh.
The two prime ministers are scheduled to witness the signing ceremony of cooperative deals to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
Ardern will pay a courtesy visit to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, meet President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, attend the Vietnam-New Zealand Business Dialogue, promote food and beverages with the Vietnam Women’s National Soccer Team, and participate in some activities in HCMC.
Ardern’s most recent visit to Vietnam took place five years ago when she attended the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November 2017.
This visit is of political significance as it reinforces the strategic partnership between Vietnam and New Zealand.
It also shows that New Zealand pays special attention to cooperation with Asian countries, especially Southeast Asian ones and Vietnam, according to the Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand, Nguyen Van Trung.
Representatives of some 20 leading businesses from New Zealand accompany PM Jacinda Ardern to Vietnam to sound out business opportunities.
