Australian Governor-General to visit Viet Nam next week

During the state visit, Governor-General Hurley will also meet Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue.

Demonstrating the depth and breadth of the relationship, the Australian Governor-General will attend a variety of events in celebration of the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between Australia and Viet Nam. 

Strong bilateral trade and defense cooperation, educational and people-to-people links will be recognized with engagements in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In the past five decades, bilateral relations have developed rapidly and sustainably, bringing about various benefits to the two countries.

The two nations have become increasingly important trade partners of each other, especially after their senior leaders agreed to upgrade their relations to a Strategic Partnership in March 2018 and adopted the Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy in November 2021.

Notably, while Australia has become one of the seven largest trade partners of Viet Nam, the Southeast Asian nation is also Australia's 10th largest trader.

Statistics show that two-way trade recorded a year-on-year rise of 26.9 percent to US$15.7 billion last year, of which US$5.6 billion came from Viet Nam's exports, and US$10.1 billion from its imports, up 26.2 percent and 27.3 percent, respectively.

Moreover, Viet Nam and Australia share many economic cooperation frameworks, in which the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) strongly supports bilateral trade and investment relations.

Australia also supported Viet Nam's COVID-19 prevention and control, particularly through the supply of over 26.4 million vaccine doses, including 14.4 million doses for children. This makes Australia the Southeast Asian nation's second biggest vaccine supplier, after the U.S.