Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Australia now have one more reliable source of advice on doing business and investment in Vietnam as an Overseas Vietnamese Business Association was launched in Melbourne on July 3.

This is the first occupational association of overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Australia to be officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government, the association’s chairman, Tran Ba Phuc, said.

The association has more than 200 members with a 12-member executive board, representing outstanding businesses in such fields as accountancy, banking, maritime transport, import-export, investment, real estate and communications. Its aim is to provide assistance and consultancy services to Vietnamese enterprises to operate in both Australia and Vietnam .

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Hoang Vinh Thanh hailed the establishment of the association, saying that it is a “concrete and vivid proof” for the development of overseas Vietnamese community.

Currently, about 300,000 Vietnamese people are living in Australia , about 188,000 of whom were born in Vietnam .

Australia has also become an attractive destination for Vietnamese students with more than 24,000 studying there in 2009./.