Rebecca Ball (in red), Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner of Australia, at the session on agriculture and food as part of the programme introducing the country's education and cuisine in Can Tho city on September 18. (Photo: VNA) The programme,part of activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam- Australia diplomatic ties, was held by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission(Austrade) and the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.
It wasan initiative of Austrade to introduce the country’s potential and strengths ineducation - training and cuisine to key economic regions of Vietnam. The Australiandelegation comprised 100 representatives from 25 training establishments; 45food and beverage businesses; seafood, wine and fruit associations; and governmentsof Australian states.
Addressing the event, Rebecca Ball, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner ofAustralia, said that through common efforts and commitments, both countrieswill obtain more achievements in trade and further reinforce friendship.
She elaboratedthat Vietnam is a leading exporter of coffee, rice, cashew nuts, peppercorn, andseafood. Meanwhile, Australia is famous for fruits, milk, wine, meat, and high-endseafood, giving the Vietnamese market more diverse choices and expanding seasonalbusiness opportunities.
Besides,education has always played a key role in the bilateral relations, Ball went on,noting that the number of Vietnamese students in Australia has been risingconsiderably, and more Australian organisations are providing academicprogrammes in the Southeast Asian nation.
About 27,000Vietnamese students are learning in Australia while 10,000 others are enrollingin Australian courses in Vietnam, she added.
NguyenThuc Hien, Vice Chairman of the Can Tho People’s Committee, said bilateraleconomic and trade ties have been thriving. Trade between the twocountries approximated 16 billion USD in 2022, making Vietnam the 10th largest trading partner of Australia, which in turn ranked 7th amongtrading partners of the former.
The cityis implementing a project on improving the awareness of creative educationfunded by the Asia Music Performing Arts Education (AMPA) of Australia. This projectis a platform for more educational cooperation between the two sides, he said.
Hien calledon Australia to help build Australian spaces at universities in Can Tho and sendvolunteers to teach English at local educational establishments in order tohelp with the city’s development and strengthen the two countries’ friendship.
Besides,Can Tho views applying science and technology to improve human resources, especiallyin agriculture, as one of the breakthrough steps. Given this,it welcomes and pledges to create the best possible conditions for Australianfirms to explore investment chances in this field, Hien said./.
VNA
