The general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party was welcomed to Parliament on Thursday morning.
Nong Duch Manh leads a large delegation including the deputy prime minister and ministers responsible for trade, investment and education.
Prime Minister John Key says Vietnam is keen to work with New Zealand in the areas of education, science and technology.
He has held discussions with Mr Manh. The other ministers will hold policy talks with their New Zealand counterparts later in the day.
