General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam (left) and Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Cindy Kiro review the guard of honour at the official welcome ceremony in Auckland on August 13, 2026. Photo: VNA  

Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Cindy Kiro hosted an official welcome ceremony for General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President of Vietnam To Lam in Auckland on August 13 morning (local time).

The top leader of Vietnam, along with a high-ranking delegation, is paying a state visit to New Zealand from August 12 to 14.

The ceremony was conducted in accordance with protocol for foreign heads of state visiting New Zealand, incorporating a traditional Māori welcome ceremony and an official greeting.

Following the welcome ceremony, General Secretary and President To Lam held talks with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, witnessed the exchange of cooperation documents, and jointly met with the press.

The state visit takes place as Vietnam enters a new phase of development, with priority given to high-quality human resources, high-value agriculture, and green growth—areas where New Zealand possesses leading expertise and credibility, and where bilateral cooperation is already yielding strong results. Besides, significant untapped potential remains for both sides to harness more strongly in the coming period.

The visit aims to intensify and make bilateral relations more substantive, with both sides expected to promote concrete cooperation in education, agriculture, trade, and sustainable development. This will help translate political commitments into tangible benefits, programmes, and projects serving each country's development objectives, while contributing to regional peace, stability, sustainable development, and resilience./.