Australia-VN diplomatic ties marked

VGP – The Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Viet Nam-Australia Friendship Association held a get-together on February 6 to celebrate Australia Day (January 26) and 45 years of Viet Nam-Australia diplomatic relations (February 26).

February 07, 2018 12:33 PM GMT+7

HUFO Vice President Nguyen Van Manh speaks at the ceremony

Congratulating Australia on its national day, Vice President of the HCM City Union of Friendship Associations (HUFO) Nguyen Van Manh congratulated the Australian people on the special occasion, stating that that the position of Australia within the international arena has been unceasingly affirmed and enhanced.

He noted that since Viet Nam and Australia established their diplomatic ties 45 years ago and especially the comprehensive partnership relations in 2009, both sides have spared no efforts to strengthen relations in various fields.

They are cooperating in the fields of Australia’s strengths and Viet Nam’s interests like development aid, education-training, infrastructure, agriculture and rural development, he said, highlighting that the Australian people in Viet Nam have made significant contributions to developing multifaceted cooperation with Viet Nam.

Two-way trade reports an annual 12.5% growth and reached more than US$9 billion in 2017. To date, Australia has deployed 378 projects in Viet Nam with a total investment capital of US$1.7 billion.

For her part, Australian Consul-General in HCM City Karen Lanyon hailed Viet Nam as one of Australia’s most important and valuable partners in the Asia-Pacific region. Their long-standing history of the successful trade and cooperation will help both sides create more trade opportunities in the coming time.

She attributed the strong and diverse relationship between Viet Nam and Australia partially to the close people-to-people exchanges and connections.

More than 320,000 Australians arrived in Viet Nam, mostly in Ho Chi Minh City, in 2017, Lanyon said, adding that the Vietnamese community has also been highly appreciated in Australia and has actively contributed to fostering the relationship.

Praising the Vietnamese community in Australia, she said they play an important role in fostering bilateral relations.

By Vien Nhu