New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully is to discuss a range of regional and international issues with Vietnamese leaders in a visit to the southeast Asian nation next week.

McCully will travel to Hanoi after attending the ninth Asia- Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Vientiane, Laos, on November 5 and 6.

He will meet his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh and other political leaders to discuss the bilateral relationship as well as regional and international issues.

"I look forward to again meeting with the Vietnamese leadership. Vietnam is an increasingly important regional partner for New Zealand and we share a wide range of bilateral political, trade and economic interests," McCully said in a statement Friday.

Discussions among the 51 ASEM nations would focus on pressing economic and political issues, and on ways to enhance cooperation between Asia and Europe.