At the meeting, Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc expressed his delight over the elevation of Vietnam-New Zealand relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He also conveyed Ho Chi Minh City's honor in welcoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's delegation, especially as Vietnam prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification.
Introducing Ho Chi Minh City’s socio-economic landscape to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc emphasized the city's ambition to develop on par with major global cities and become a leading economic, financial, and service hub in Asia. He expressed hope for New Zealand’s active support in achieving this vision, fostering new growth momentum, and further integrating Vietnam into the global economic value chain.
Regarding Ho Chi Minh City's upcoming development plan, Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc said that the city focuses on developing high technology. Ho Chi Minh City is in the early stages of digital transformation, so there is still a lot of room for New Zealand to exploit and invest. In addition, green transformation is also an option for the southern largest city's sustainable development.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed gratitude to the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City for welcoming his delegation. Luxon stated that New Zealand sees education as a prime area for enhanced cooperation between the two nations, particularly in technology, sustainable development, and green transformation.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed his admiration for the remarkable progress of Vietnam, particularly in the southern metropolis. He emphasized his confidence that, with the current vision, strategies, and ongoing efforts, Vietnam generally and Ho Chi Minh City particularly will soon achieve their set goals.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon agreed that upgrading bilateral relations marks an important first step toward strengthening cooperation in a more effectively, enhancing New Zealand’s contribution to Vietnam’s development. He expressed a strong desire for deeper collaboration between New Zealand and Vietnamese scientific researchers and pledged comprehensive support to help Ho Chi Minh City achieve its development goals.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also hoped to promote cooperation in technology development, improve infrastructure systems, and governance systems with Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon affirmed that Vietnam and New Zealand have many similarities to continue to exploit the room for cooperation in all fields.
