NZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon talks to press in Ha Noi

Right time to upgrade ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Christopher Luxon said the relations between Viet Nam and New Zealand is really special. It's been 50 years, and it really started with students going to New Zealand under the Colombo.

Two-way trade grew 40 percent in the last five years. But now is the right time for the two countries to upgrade ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he said.

According Luxon, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was the very first foreign leader that he invited to New Zealand when he became Prime Minister just over a year ago.

"I see that there is so much potential and values that we are aligned around, that we can continue to deepen and build out our relationship," he said.

The Kiwi Prime Minister said that "There's obviously huge opportunities in our trade and around education, around tourism, around agriculture, around fruit and traditional products, but also New Zealand has got some really great emerging technologies and science as well."

Viet Nam - rising star in region

The Prime Minister said that Viet Nam has been the most, fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia for the last 25 years.

As Viet Nam makes the transition into middle income and ultimately into high income by 2045. It's going to be an even more influential country, a wealthier country, and a country that's much more embedded in everyone's supply chains in the next 10 years. And so that's why it's a pretty cool time to be doing it.

The country's growth rate averaged 5-6 percent every single year. That is two, sometimes even three times more than what developed countries are experiencing.

"No doubt about it, you are the rising star within the region," said Christopher Luxon./.