On the morning of September 24, two Royal New Zealand Navy ships HMNZS Te Mana and HMNZS Aotearoa, with more than 300 officers and sailors, docked at Saigon Port, marking the 48th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and New Zealand. The two Royal New Zealand Navy ships will visit Saigon Port, Ho Chi Minh City from September 24 to 28.

The visit to Vietnam aims to further strengthen the friendly and close relationship between the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy. During their five-day stay in Vietnam, the delegation of officers and sailors will participate in a variety of activities, including exchanges and meetings between the two navies, friendly sports and community activities.

“The crews of HMNZS Te Mana and HMNZS Aotearoa are delighted to be visiting Vietnam. They are eager to learn about Vietnamese culture and people, as well as share a bit of Kiwi culture with their Vietnamese friends... This visit is a testament to the close relationship between New Zealand and Vietnam. We are committed to defence cooperation with Vietnam and believe that developing and expanding our bilateral relationship will contribute to maintaining regional security,” said New Zealand’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Rear Admiral James Gilmour.

The visit of the two ships follows the successful visit of Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, to New Zealand in July 2023, and ahead of talks on bilateral defense relations, scheduled to take place in early 2024.

HMNZS Te Mana is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s second Anzac-class destroyer. The 26,000-ton HMNZS Aotearoa is an Arctic-capable ship and the Royal New Zealand Navy’s largest tanker and supply ship. There are more than 300 officers and sailors on board the two ships, which are tasked with combat, humanitarian, rescue, operations and training support.

The two ships are conducting routine exercises in Southeast Asia as part of the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) largest naval deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, as well as undertaking a number of “Defence Diplomacy” visits, including a visit to Vietnam. This is the first time two Royal New Zealand Navy ships have visited Vietnam together.

2023 marks the 48th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Vietnam. Over the past nearly five decades, the diplomatic relationship between the two countries has grown strongly in many areas, including defense and security cooperation. New Zealand and Vietnam maintain delegation exchanges at all levels, cooperate in information sharing and training, and enhance capacity in the fields of defense and security. The two countries' defense ministries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation in 2013 and an Implementation Agreement on Peacekeeping Training Cooperation in 2017.

In July 2023, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defense, had a successful visit to New Zealand, helping to strengthen relations and mutual understanding between the two countries' militaries, contributing to consolidating this important area in the Vietnam-New Zealand strategic partnership.

New Zealand and Vietnam regularly exchange information and promote cooperation through the annual Defence Strategic Dialogue and annual defence policy dialogue, as well as in multilateral frameworks such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

In 2018, HMNZS Te Mana visited Ho Chi Minh City. HMNZS Te Mana's sister ship - Royal Navy ship HMNZS Te Kaha visited Da Nang in 2017 .

T.Lan