The Vietnamese Consulate General in Perth City, Western Australia state, in conjunction with the local council held a ceremony on Feb. 26, to celebrate the 40 th establishment anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties.

Addressing the ceremony, Consul General Le Viet Duyen highlighted the development in the relations between the two countries over the past 40 years, particularly after they established a comprehensive partnership in 2009.

The recent establishment of the Vietnamese consulate general in Perth was also an evidence for the two sides’ efforts to boost the relations, Duyen stressed.

He noted that Vietnam is the 19 th largest trade partner of Western Australia state with two-way trade reaching 800 million AUD last year. The Vietnamese community in the state now numbers around 15,000, besides 2,000 Vietnamese students.

On the occasion, the governor of Western Australia has sent greetings to the government and people of Vietnam .

Lily Chen, a member of the Perth City Council, welcomed the establishment of the Vietnamese consulate general in the city. She expressed her wish that Perth establish twinning relations with a city in Vietnam in the coming time.

A Vietnam film festival was also launched on this occasion, introducing two films - “ Vietnam on the way of development” and “Pao’s story”./.