In the late afternoon of August 12 (local time), the special plane carrying General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation arrived at Auckland International Airport, beginning a state visit to New Zealand from August 12-14, at the invitation of New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro.
Welcoming the delegation at the airport on the New Zealand side were: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Grahame Morton; New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford; Director of the South Asia and Southeast Asia Department, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Susannah Gordon.
On the Vietnamese side were: Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Phan Minh Giang and his wife, along with a number of officials and staff of the Embassy.
For more than 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations (June 19, 1975), the two sides have constantly built a solid foundation for bilateral relations.
This State visit by General Secretary and President To Lam to New Zealand affirms Vietnam's consistent policy of valuing relations with New Zealand - a friendly, potential partner and sharing many similarities with Vietnam in the South Pacific region, and at the same time is an important milestone to bring the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and New Zealand to develop more strongly, substantively and effectively in the new period.
