Sydney (VNA) – At the invitation of Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Michelle Chan, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong visited Australia from August 4-7 and co-chaired the first dialogue between senior officials from the two foreign ministries.
At the dialogue, both sides expressed satisfaction with the intensive and extensive development of bilateral relationship since it was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership last year. They noted with appreciation that cooperation under this upgraded framework has been advancing effectively and comprehensively across all six pillars, with over 100 joint activities completed and nearly 60 ongoing activities on track, yielding tangible results across multiple sectors.
The officials adopted the annual review report of the Action Programme for the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2024-2027.
On political and defence-security cooperation, the dialogue highlighted deepening strategic trust. Regular mechanisms, including the Ministerial Security Dialogue in October 2024 and the current Senior Officials’ Dialogue, have fostered greater mutual understanding. Both sides agreed to coordinate preparations for upcoming high-level exchanges, including a foreign ministers’ meeting and a defence policy dialogue.
On the economic front, they welcomed a 2.3% hike in two-way trade to 14.1 billion USD in 2024. Australia has opened its market to Vietnamese passion fruit, while Vietnam has approved the import of Australian plums. Notably, Australia's registered investment in Vietnam exceeded the 3 billion USD mark for the the first time in the first half of this year.
The two countries will effectively realise Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 and the Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES) between Vietnam and Australia, while finalising and signing a Memorandum of Understanding on digital economy.
They also agreed to hold the first ministerial dialogue on energy and minerals, and continue with effective coordination at regional and multilateral economic forums, as well as regional trade agreements to which they are parties, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Vietnam praised Australia’s strong commitment to provide and increase official development assistance (ODA) in recent years. Cuong acknowledged Australia’s practical and impactful initiatives, especially those supporting climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta, and called for continued support for Vietnam’s energy transition in pursuit of net-zero emissions target by 2050.
In sci-tech and innovation, both sides promised to further advance the Australia–Vietnam Innovation Partnership programme (Aus4Innovation). The establishment of the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technology Centre in June was hailed as a pivotal step. Both sides recognised sci-tech and innovation as promising areas for collaboration, aligning with Vietnam’s Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in sci-tech, innovation and national digital transformation. They committed to strengthening university and research ties, promoting academic exchanges for students and doctoral researchers, and fostering joint research to drive innovation.
On the occasion, Cuong also held working sessions with leaders from various Australian agencies, localities, scholars, and researchers. Their discussions focused on future directions for the bilateral ties, including enhanced local-level cooperation and deeper collaboration in sci-tech, and education.
He also met with representatives from the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs’ Association, the Vietnam-Australia Scholars & Experts Association, and other members of the Vietnamese community. He listened to their recommendations on how overseas Vietnamese professionals and businesspeople can further contribute to Vietnam’s economic growth, scientific advancement, and innovation ecosystem./.
