Australian Foreign Minister: I admire the achievements, resilience, determination and patriotism of the Vietnamese people

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong co-chaired the 7th Vietnam-Australia Foreign Ministers' Meeting (FMM 7) on August 20. (Photo: Quang Hoa)

Could you please assess the outstanding results of the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership over the past year?

I am honored to have participated in building the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, which was established during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Vietnam last March. To date, we have fulfilled more than 90% of the goals and commitments within the framework of this partnership. This is a clear demonstration of the importance of the relationship.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong answers questions from the press during her visit to Vietnam on August 20. (Photo: PH)

Australia is one of Vietnam’s top 10 trading partners and we will continue to support Vietnam’s key priorities towards achieving high-income status. A typical example is that we have just completed a major trade transaction between partners from the UK, Japan, Canada and Australia with VPBank , along with a credit loan of 350 million USD. This is a concrete demonstration of investment cooperation between the two countries.

How does Australia assess Vietnam's role and contributions in the region, especially in ASEAN and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, Minister?

Vietnam is a very important regional leader. I would like to congratulate Vietnam on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of its National Day on September 2. Vietnam understands the importance of protecting national sovereignty and this spirit has contributed to shaping Vietnam's role in ASEAN.

We also congratulate Vietnam on its 30th anniversary of joining ASEAN – a significant milestone. Australia has worked closely with Vietnam over the past year. Vietnam understands the importance of international law and norms, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which ensures that countries like Australia and Vietnam (important but not superpowers) can rely on laws and norms to protect their national sovereignty.

In the new era of development, according to the Minister, how can Australia support Vietnam in key economic areas such as digital economy, green economy and sustainable development?

Firstly, Southeast Asia is forecast to become the world’s fourth largest economy by 2040, and Vietnam is a key part of that picture. We therefore see Vietnam as a dynamic economy in a dynamic economic region. Australia wants to be a partner with Vietnam in that process, bringing benefits to both countries and the region.

We have developed a South East Asia Economic Strategy to strengthen Australia’s economic engagement with the region, including Vietnam. The investment I have just mentioned will be used to finance sustainable and social infrastructure projects. In addition, the National Australia Bank has made new investments in Vietnam.

On sustainable development and the Mekong sub-region, Australia announced an additional AUD 50 million support package, including six new and expanded programs to build climate resilience and water security for the Mekong sub-region. This is part of Australia’s broader Mekong sub-region support package. In addition, we are also funding an additional 30 Australia Awards scholarships for the Mekong sub-region. Sustainable development is extremely important to the security and development of Vietnam as well as the Mekong sub-region.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong enjoy morning coffee together. (Photo: Quang Hoa)

How does the Minister assess the role of people-to-people, cultural, educational, scientific and technological exchanges in strengthening Vietnam-Australia relations in the coming time?

There are currently 37,000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia, and 17,000 students studying in Vietnam on Australian degree programs. In total, more than 160,000 Vietnamese students have chosen Australia as their educational destination over the past half century. This is a very important element of the relationship between the two countries.

This is also personal to me as my father was a Malaysian student who came to Australia under the Colombo Plan. My family has seen for themselves the importance of education and the strong bonds that can be created through the learning experience, which have had a positive impact over decades.

In addition, the Vietnamese community in Australia is also very large and dynamic, both proudly preserving cultural identity and contributing to widely introducing Vietnamese culture and history to Australian society.

How does the Minister evaluate the cooperation efforts between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs in recent times?

I very much appreciate the close cooperation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bui Thanh Son. This is the eighth time we have met. Australia and Vietnam have a very clear strategic alignment: we both want peace, stability and prosperity, and we work together to achieve that goal.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited the National Museum of History on the afternoon of August 20. (Photo: Jackie Chan)

On the occasion of this visit and towards the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day, what message does the Minister want to send to the Vietnamese people?

First of all, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the people and Government of Vietnam on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of National Day. At the same time, I would like to express my admiration for your achievements, your perseverance, your determination and your patriotism – values ​​that have run through the history of the Vietnamese people. Vietnam understands well what it means to protect the country and national sovereignty, which is a priceless gift that you bring to the region.

I want to emphasize that it is extremely important for us to look back at the past, to acknowledge the journey we have taken, and to build the strong friendship and partnership we have today. We understand our history, but we also understand what we are to each other today: we are friends.

How does the Minister evaluate Vietnam's strong reform policy in recent times as well as expectations for Vietnam's development in the future?

We share Vietnam’s goal of becoming a high-income country and want to be a steadfast, resilient partner, ready to meet Vietnam’s priorities. Australia can play a part in achieving these goals.

The comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is also partly about meeting priorities that the Vietnamese Government believes Australia can support. We are not a superpower, but we can contribute in key areas such as human resource development, capacity building, sustainable development and climate change response.

Over the past year, we have strengthened our development cooperation program with Vietnam. Our economic cooperation programs are all oriented based on Vietnam's own priorities.

Thank you very much Minister!