Hanoi (VNA) – The upcoming State visit to Australia by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam is expected to give fresh impetus to the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, opening up new opportunities for deeper, more substantive and effective collaboration.
As the highest-level external activity of the Vietnamese Party and State, and the first State visit by a Vietnamese State President to Australia, the trip holds particular historical significance, serving as an important milestone to translate high-level political commitments into concrete outcomes and further strengthen political trust between the two countries.
Amid rapid and complex changes in the regional and global landscape, the visit demonstrates the leaders’ determination to inject fresh momentum into bilateral ties and make the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership increasingly substantive, effective and sustainable.
Ahead of the visit, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his expectation of welcoming the Vietnamese Party and State leader and discussing ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. He emphasised that the relationship is firmly grounded in deep strategic trust, shared interests and common aspirations for the future of the region. The two countries also enjoy strong people-to-people links, with around 350,000 Australians of Vietnamese origin living in Australia.
Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird said the timing of the visit reflects the growing aspiration for and momentum in bilateral relations. She noted that cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has expanded across trade and investment, defence and security, education, digital transformation and energy transition, with the visit expected to turn commitments into practical results and further promote shared prosperity.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam agreed that the visit is not only a milestone ushering in a new phase of bilateral relations and reflecting the strategic vision and determination of the two countries’ leaders to build increasingly effective ties based on trust, mutual respect and mutual benefit, but also represents an important step in implementing the foreign policy set out at the 14th National Party Congress, helping concretise the policy of deepening relations with comprehensive strategic partners in a substantive, effective and sustainable manner.
The partnership has already delivered substantial results. More than two years after the two countries upgraded their ties in March 2024, all six pillars of the 2024-2027 Action Programme have been implemented on schedule, with 96% of the 180 action lines completed.
Economic cooperation remains a key pillar. Australia is Vietnam’s seventh-largest trading partner, while Vietnam is an increasingly dynamic economic partner for Australia in Southeast Asia. Bilateral trade reached 8.1 billion USD in the first half of 2026, up nearly 22% year-on-year, with Vietnam’s exports to Australia rising more than 25% to 3.8 billion USD. Australia has also pledged 98.3 million AUD (69.1 million USD) in grant official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, bringing total Australian assistance since the establishment of diplomatic ties to more than 3 billion AUD.
Science, technology and education are emerging as new drivers. The two sides are implementing the second phase of Aus4Innovation and cooperation on innovation, while the Vietnam-Australia Centre for Strategic Technology, established in Hanoi in June 2025, focuses on frontier fields such as 5G, 6G, artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Nearly 25,000 Vietnamese students are studying in Australia in 2026, making Vietnam the fourth-largest source of international students there.
The upcoming visit is expected to advance cooperation in digital transformation, science and technology and the digital economy; build resilient and sustainable supply chains; and generate new momentum for trade, investment, education, training and healthcare. The two sides also aim to realise the goal of doubling two-way investment.
The significance of the trip extends beyond bilateral ties. Vietnam and Australia share a strong commitment to ASEAN centrality, multilateralism and an international order based on the UN Charter and international law. Their coordination at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, ASEAN and Mekong subregional mechanisms, will be particularly important as Vietnam prepares to host APEC 2027.
With deep strategic trust, complementary economic strengths and strong people-to-people ties, the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is well positioned to enter a new chapter of cooperation, contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world./.
