Vietnam, New Zealand to expand agricultural market access and digital trade

Photo: New Zealand Embassy to Vietnam

The priorities were discussed at a bilateral meeting between Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung and New Zealand Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay on August 13.

Minister Hung said the Vietnam-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to develop, becoming increasingly substantive and far-reaching. The two countries share common values and maintain close ties both bilaterally and through regional and multilateral frameworks.

Against a backdrop of global and regional economic challenges and geopolitical uncertainty, the two ministers discussed measures to further strengthen bilateral economic and trade cooperation, with a view to ensuring the flow of essential goods and resilient regional supply chains, while working towards raising bilateral trade to $3 billion in the near term.

To support trade growth and achieve the bilateral trade target, Minister Hung called for closer cooperation with New Zealand in several areas, including accelerating market access for Vietnamese agricultural and food products; encouraging two-way trade and investment, particularly by encouraging New Zealand businesses to invest in Vietnam; and expanding cooperation in digital transformation, digital trade, and cross-border e-commerce.

He also proposed connecting Vietnamese IT and software companies with the New Zealand market, while calling for closer coordination and mutual support in multilateral forums and more effective implementation of free trade agreements to maximise benefits for the business community.

Minister McClay welcomed and agreed with Vietnam’s proposals. On market access for agricultural, fishery, and seafood products, he said he would engage with relevant New Zealand agencies to work together to accelerate the process.

On multilateral cooperation, Minister Hung called on New Zealand to support Vietnam in successfully and effectively fulfilling its role as chair of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), for the benefit of all members.

Vietnam also looks forward to continued knowledge sharing and technical support from New Zealand as it prepares to host APEC 2027. Vietnam highly values New Zealand’s contribution to advancing policy dialogue, sharing experience in measuring trade in environmental goods, and supporting APEC initiatives on green growth.

In response, Minister McClay reaffirmed New Zealand’s support for Vietnam during its CPTPP chairmanship and said New Zealand was ready to share its experience and provide support where needed.

According to the National Statistics Office, two-way trade between Vietnam and New Zealand reached $845 million in the first half of 2026, up 15 per cent year-on-year. Vietnam’s exports to New Zealand rose 19 per cent to $400 million, while imports increased 11 per cent to $445 million.

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