This friendship and trust is exemplified by our upgrading to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024, an agreement which demonstrates the ambition we both hold for a stable, prosperous, and peaceful future.

Andrew Goledzinowski, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam

Underpinning our relationship is our development cooperation. There are physical signs of Australia’s development commitment across Vietnam. Like me, you may have driven over the My Thuan or Cao Lanh bridges in the Mekong Delta funded by Australia, or you may be one of the 24 million Vietnamese who received a COVID-19 vaccination donated by Australia, or be one of the 7,000 Vietnamese alumni who have studied with an Australian government scholarship.

Vietnam’s economic growth over the past 30 years is impressive by any standards, and recent ambitions outlined by Party General Secretary To Lam on December 1 are commendable – such as the mention of double-digit growth and creating better conditions to attract investment. To match the pace of growth and ambition in Vietnam and our upgraded relationship, on December 9, we launched the Vietnam Australia Development Partnership Plan.

The plan is a partnership. We met with government, civil society, and with our delivery partners to ensure our efforts are deeply integrated with the needs and ambitions of the Vietnamese people. Through the plan, Australia will work with Vietnam across areas where progress is critical for Vietnam’s goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

The focus of our partnership is an inclusive, resilient, sustainable and prosperous economy; strengthened human resources; strengthened climate resilience, adaptation and emissions reduction; and inclusive and participatory social and economic development.

Despite Vietnam’s economic growth, there continue to be groups in society that cannot fully participate in, and benefit from, Vietnam’s development. Australia will continue to work with Vietnam to support all Vietnamese men and women, including people with a disability, ethnic minority groups and LGBTQIA+ communities to live a more secure and dignified life – a life free from violence, with opportunity for formal waged employment, to take on leadership positions and access social protection against economic shocks and crisis.

I am particularly proud of our support to businesses led and owned by women, predominantly ethnic minority women, in Vietnam’s northwest. I have been fortunate to visit the northwest, taking in the breathtaking mountainous and remote environment, one rich in cultural history and warm hospitality. More than 15,000 women in Lao Cai and Son La have increased their incomes, primarily through tourism and agriculture, due to our partnership. Businesses that have formed cooperatives and are now exporting and trading online, a testament to their drive and tenancy.

More generally, further investment in modernising higher education and vocational education and training is needed for Vietnam to meet the needs of a burgeoning labour market that increasingly demands workers are more highly skilled and more productive. The partnership between our two countries is built on education and knowledge exchange.

More than 100,000 Vietnamese people have studied at Australian universities, bringing with them rich cultural ties that you can see in every city in Australia. And now, through Australia’s world-class vocational education and training system, we are sharing lessons to support Vietnam reforms to provide graduates with skills that industry needs for a more productive workforce.

One of the unique features of our partnership is the prestigious leadership capability development delivered by the Vietnam Australia Centre, hosted at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. The centre demonstrates the prioritisation of both our countries on public sector leadership, including advancing women in leadership, research, and knowledge exchange. We learn from each other to tackle the complex challenges Vietnam and much of the rest of the world face.

As we head towards the end of the year, I have been reflecting on the significance of events such as geostrategic uncertainty and climate change impact. I am proud to say that Australia was the first international partner to provide relief following the tragedy of Typhoon Yagi.

Our support highlights how important our partnership is in facing the climate crisis, not just in response, but working together to lower emissions and adapt to our changing environment. Our partnership in Vietnam and across the Mekong is helping establish carbon markets, understand solar energy storage, and sharing expertise on crop adaptation to protect communities and the next generation.

As a true partner of Vietnam, we seek to listen to make sure we deliver quality development programmes that respond to Vietnam’s priorities. History, geography, and common sense tell us that a peaceful, prosperous, and sovereign Vietnam is essential for the stability and prosperity of our entire region. And while the challenges may be significant, they are nothing compared to the challenges that Vietnam has previously faced and overcome.

As we have done over the past 51 years, Australia will remain a reliable and trustworthy partner for Vietnam’s socioeconomic development. Australia will continue our commitment to supporting Vietnam to build a stable, prosperous and peaceful country in the new era.