Hanoi (VNA) - Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn and her spouse Simeon Beckett departed Ho Chi Minh City on September 12 evening, concluding their four-day state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of State President Luong Cuong and his spouse.
During her stay, Mostyn paid a floral tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum, and laid flowers at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs on Bac Son street in Hanoi.
Party General Secretary To Lam hosted a reception for the Governor-General, while State President Cuong chaired the official welcome ceremony, held talks, and hosted a state banquet with the guest. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man also held meetings with the Australian leader.
During the meetings and talks, the Vietnamese leaders welcomed Mostyn’s first state visit, and congratulated Australia on its achievements in sci-tech, cultural diversity, and climate action. They believed that Australia would continue to play a constructive role in fostering global and regional peace, stability, and development.
Mostyn thanked the Vietnamese leaders for their warm hospitality, expressing admiration for Vietnam’s people, history, and rich cultural traditions, as well as its resilience and optimism in national development.
Congratulating Vietnam on its recent achievements, she hailed Vietnam as one of Australia’s most trusted partners, and wished to deepen all-around cooperation to foster a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region.
Both sides lauded the elevation of ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024 as a historic milestone that reflects strategic trust and a shared resolve to advance bilateral relations into a new phase.
In Hanoi, Mostyn met with Politburo member Nguyen Xuan Thang, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Chairman of the Central Theory Council. She also delivered a speech at the third Vietnam - Australia Forum, themed “Building public service excellence in a new era of growth”.
In Ho Chi Minh City, she met with Tran Luu Quang, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the municipal Party Committee.
Her itinerary included attending the opening of the Australia-Vietnam Policy Institute’s representative office in Hanoi, meeting Vietnamese peacekeepers in Ho Chi Minh City, and taking a leisurely stroll around Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem lake with her spouse to enjoy the city’s autumn scenery and interact with locals./.
