Vietnam is requesting further support from Australia in infrastructure, human resources, agriculture, rural development, and poverty reduction, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told Speaker of the House of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop and President of the Senate Stephen Parry in Canberra on March 18.

He expressed appreciation for the Australian parliament’s support to Vietnam through official development assistance (ODA) projects, and asked for continued efforts to deepen the bilateral ties.

The hosts were also urged to facilitate all-round friendship and cooperation between the two nations, including aiding Vietnamese community in the country wherever possible.

Bishop assured the PM that the Australian parliament concurs with the intent to upgrade ties with Vietnam.

Australian and Vietnamese lawmakers have worked collaboratively in international inter-parliamentary forums, intensifying the bilateral friendship and political trust, she said.

The Australian parliament leaders also pledged to assist the Vietnamese community in Australia through every available means; the community’s contributions, they said, have assisted the host nation.

Meeting members of the Australia – Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group the same day, the Vietnamese leader reviewed the outcomes of his talks with PM Tony Abbot, particularly the consensus on elevating the bilateral comprehensive partnership to the next level and the signing of a declaration on enhancing the bilateral comprehensive partnership across politics-security, economics-trade-investment, ODA, people-to-people exchange, education, and science-technology, among others.

He suggested the group work to promote the Australian government’s extension of ODA to Vietnam.

The parliamentarians thanked Vietnam for its help in the search and repatriation of the remains of Australian soldiers who lost their lives in Vietnam during the war.

In a conversation with the Vietnamese PM, leader of the Labour Party Bill Shorten said upgrading the bilateral strategic partnership suits the realities and meets the aspirations of the two peoples.

During the visit, ministers accompanied PM Nguyen Tan Dung also held working sessions with their Australian counterparts.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese firms struck 8 deals with Australian partners, including five in education-training and one each in container manufacturing and export, farm produce processing, and copper cable manufacturing.-VNA