Vice President Nguyễn Thị Lan Anh Welcomes Lead Adviser for South and South East Asia at New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)

Expressing her pleasure in welcoming the New Zealand delegation, Vice President Nguyễn Thị Lan Anh congratulated both countries on this milestone and emphasized that the DAV stands ready to serve as a bridge for collaboration in training, research, and sustainable development. Referring to science & technology and climate change, she highlighted New Zealand’s proactive support for Viet Nam in enhancing disaster-response capacity, sharing technology-based sustainable management models, and strengthening connections between Viet Nam, New Zealand, and the Mekong countries (Laos, Cambodia) to address shared challenges in food security, healthcare, and the environment. Dr. Lan Anh also proposed launching specific joint projects in smart agriculture, water resource management, and climate change adaptation. Regarding education and training, she asked New Zealand to consider increasing the number of PhD scholarships from the current six slots to ten–fifteen per year, especially in fields such as international relations, public policy, and environmental science.

For her part, Ms. Kirsty Pelenur said that New Zealand is actively implementing action plans to give concrete shape to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Viet Nam, focusing on key areas such as economic-trade cooperation, sustainable development, and regional security. She stressed that as diplomatic ties deepen, businesses from both countries will find more opportunities to work together, particularly given the current impacts of geopolitical and trade fluctuations on global supply chains. On education, Ms. Pelenur confirmed that New Zealand is ready to welcome Vietnamese doctoral candidates through the Manaaki Scholarship Fund and its universities ranked among the top 2 percent worldwide. Deputy Ambassador Rebecca Wood added that six of New Zealand’s top eight universities have already visited Viet Nam and pledged to work with local partners to find suitable candidates to ensure high-quality bilateral training and research cooperation.

The meeting took place in a friendly, open, and constructive atmosphere, reaffirming both sides’ shared determination to strengthen cooperation, pursue sustainable development, and enhance the roles and standing of Viet Nam and New Zealand in the Indo-Pacific region. Both parties expressed confidence that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Viet Nam and New Zealand will continue to deepen and bring tangible economic, security, and sustainable development benefits to both nations./.