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PM Morrison’s visit deepens Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s official visit to Vietnam from August 22-24 has opened new prospects for bilateral ties, and expanded and deepened Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership.
The visit took place amidst the thriving bilateral relations and increasing political trust, with the exchange of high-ranking delegations and meetings.

Vietnam and Australia officially established diplomatic ties on February 26, 1973, and a comprehensive partnership in 2009. The relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership in 2018 during Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to Australia from March 14-17. 

The two countries have effectively implemented the action program for the 2016-2019 period and are building another one for 2020-2022 to materialize their strategic partnership. 


On August 23, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a welcoming ceremony for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
In the photo: The two leaders review the honor guard of the Vietnam People’s Army. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA



Hanoi children welcome the two leaders. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA 


The two leaders hold talks. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA


National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan receives Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: Trong Duc/VNA


Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh has a meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: Van Diep/VNA
 
Currently, Vietnam is the fourth largest trade partner of Australia in the ASEAN bloc, while the latter is the 7th largest of the Southeast Asian country. Two-way trade has inched up 8.8%/year on average. Their trade revenue grew 19% to 7.7 billion US dollars in 2018. In the first six months of 2019, total trade volume was estimated at 3.84 billion US dollars, a year-on-year surge of 6.1%.

By the end of June, Australian investors had registered over 1.86 billion US dollars in 458 projects in Vietnam, ranking 20th among the 131 countries and territories having investments in the country. Vietnam had 53 projects worth 247 million US dollars in Australia.
“Vietnamese businesses in Australia in general and in Sydney in particular having been acquiring advanced technologies, and managerial knowledge and skills to develop projects of socio-economic significance in the country.” 

Nguyen Ba Luan
Chairman of the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Association in Sydney 
(VEAS)

Australia is one of the largest providers of official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam (around 62 million US dollars each year during 2013-2018). In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, Australia will provide more than 52 million US dollars for economic reform, capacity building in gender equality, and livelihood improvement in Vietnam.

Vietnam and Australia have fruitfully joined hands in national defense and security through delegation exchanges and agreements on cooperation in crime combat, immigration management, the fight against illegal migration, information and experience sharing and English language teaching. 

The two sides inked a memorandum of understanding on collaboration in training peace-keeping forces, and bomb and mine clearance in 2016.

Both sides have enjoyed sound collaboration at regional and international forums, like the United Nations (UN), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and ASEAN-led mechanisms.

Australia committed to extending strong support to Vietnam in assuming the role of the ASEAN Chair in 2020 and as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021.

They committed their governments to working together to ensure smooth implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. They agreed on the importance of concluding negotiations on a modern, comprehensive, high-quality and mutually beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement this year.

The two countries have been sharing a history of education and training cooperation. Australia has provided many short-term and long-term fellowships for Vietnamese students. There was a time the number of scholarships granted to Vietnamese nationals reaching 400, and now it is maintained at 100 each year. Currently, there are some 31,000 Vietnamese graduates and postgraduates in Australia. Besides, there are 18 education exchange programs carried out by universities and institutes in both nations.

There are around 300,000 Vietnamese people in Australia, creating the 5th largest community in the nation. They live mainly in New South Wales, Vitoria, Queensland and South Australia.


PM Phuc and his Australian counterpart have a working breakfast with businessmen from the two countries. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA


They witness the signing of an agreement on combating trafficking in persons.
Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA



They witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on e-Government. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA


The wives of the two Prime Ministers have a friendly meeting. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA


The Australian Prime Minister and his wife visit Presidential Palace Historical Site in Hanoi. Photo: Van Diep/VNA


The two leaders visit Vietnamese Level-2 Field Hospital No. 2. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA


The Australian Prime Minister visits F1 circuit in Hanoi. Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA

Story: VNP - Photos: VNA


 

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In recent years, Vietnam has made strides in upgrading, expanding, and constructing new aviation infrastructures with significant investments from both the government and private sectors. However, the pace of development has not kept up with the national and international growth rates. Recognizing the need for a breakthrough to boost the economy, promote tourism, and attract investments, the Prime Minister has approved a comprehensive plan for the development of the airport system and terminals until 2030, with a vision to 2050.

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