Hanoi (VNA) - National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hosted receptions on December 11 for the out-going Ambassadors of New Zealand, Chile and Indonesia.

In her meeting with New Zealand Ambassador Wendy Matthews, the top legislator spoke highly of the contributions by the diplomat and the embassy in general to strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

Ngan expressed her hope that the two sides will continue to bolster cooperation and share information and experience in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

For her part, Matthews extended her sympathy over the recent heavy losses caused by serious flooding in central Vietnam, saying that response to natural disasters is an area where the two countries can strengthen cooperation and experience sharing in the time to come.

The upgrade of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership has affirmed the two countries’ commitment to their cooperation in the past, the present, and the future, she stressed.

In addition to main areas of cooperation such as defence, security, and politics, the two countries should also expand ties in agriculture, commerce, and education, Matthews said.

The NA Chairwoman thanked New Zealand for its support to Vietnam in its roles as Chair of ASEAN 2020 and non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, as well as its provision of official development assistance (ODA) over recent years and aid to help Vietnam overcome the consequences of the recent floods.

The Vietnamese legislature always supports the friendship and cooperation between the two countries, she said, adding that it will continue to work closely with New Zealand’s parliament to realise the joint statement on the strategic partnership.

Vietnam will actively support New Zealand’s chairmanship of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2021, she affirmed.


In her reception for Chilean Ambassador Jaime Chomali Garib, Ngan affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to promoting relations with Latin American countries, especially Chile.

Vietnam-Chile relations have seen fruitful development, she said, with two-way trade hitting over 1 billion USD in the first 10 months of this year.

She hoped that the two countries’ legislatures would promote the exchange of delegations and experience in law-making and decision-making on important issues.

The two sides should continue to cooperate in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and promoting economic development in the time to come, she said, expressing her hope that the out-going ambassador will continue to work as a bridge between the two countries and make additional contributions to promoting bilateral relations.

The Chilean diplomat congratulated Vietnam on successfully performing its roles as Chair of ASEAN 2020 and Chair of AIPA 41, and expressed his admiration of it being one of very few countries to maintain positive growth in the context of the world still battling the COVID-19 pandemic.


While meeting with Indonesian Ambassador Ibnu Hadi, Ngan praised the diplomat’s contributions to developing the Vietnam-Indonesia friendship and strategic partnership.

While highlighting the sound development of bilateral relations across fields, Ngan said Vietnam highly valued Indonesia’s role in the ASEAN region.

Hadi spoke highly of Vietnam’s efforts in fighting COVID-19 and thanked the NA for providing his country with masks and medical equipment to help it combat the pandemic.

The ambassador said he hoped Vietnam will continue to share its experience with Indonesia in responding to the disease.

Ngan presented medical face masks to the country on the occasion, suggesting that the two ministries of health further enhance cooperation in controlling the pandemic and share experience via online conferences./.