New Zealand will orient its cooperation with Vietnam to astrategic partnership with the intensive development of projects incentral Binh Dinh province, said New Zealand Ambassador to VietnamHaike Manning.

At a press briefing in Quy Nhon city on April 10 on New Zealand ’scooperation programmes and projects in the province, the ambassadorhighly valued the effective implementation of the projects.

New Zealand ’s cooperation projects in Binh Dinh will focus onthree key areas, including education and research, trade and workingholiday scheme (WHS) for local youths in New Zealand , he said.

Haike Manning said his country will continue providing graduate andpost-graduate scholarships for Vietnam ’s State officials anduniversity lecturers.

It will also organise research cooperationprogrammes between the two countries’ universities and institutes aswell as between Binh Dinh and organisations in New Zealand , addedhe.

In the medical field, New Zealand is ready to help Binh Dinh train its physician staff, he noted.

According to the ambassador, the two sides may cooperate in woodworkproduction as Binh Dinh boasts strength in processing timber and forestproducts and New Zealand can provide a large amount of woodmaterials.

Currently, two New Zealand-fundedprojects have been effectively implemented in Binh Dinh province,including the 1.7 million USD project on sustainable rural livelihoodand the other on modernising land management using over 12 million USDfrom the World Bank’s loan. The second project has also been carried outin other eight provinces across the country.

On theoccasion, the New Zealand ambassador conducted a fact-finding tour oftwo other projects on improving the quality and use of mother and childhealth care services, and pre-school education in the province.-VNA