President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives the credentials from Australian Ambassador Andrew John Lech Goledznowski on September 19. (Source: VNA)

Talking to WVR, Ambassador Andrew John Lech Goledznowski expressed his excitement and set many goals for the bilateral relationship at the beginning of his term as Australian Ambassador to Vietnam.

Dear Your Excellency, could you share your feelings after presenting your credentials to Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc?

Presenting my credentials to the President was a very proud and special occasion for me. I particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to discuss with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc our respective priorities for our bilateral relations and plans for stepping up our cooperation across all aspects of the Vietnam-Australia partnership to the next level. I now look forward to getting down to work on what I know will be a busy and exciting role here as Ambassador.

It’s a particularly exciting time to be here as we approach the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam in 2023 - a significant milestone in our two nations’ history and an opportunity to shape the contours of our relationship into the future.

Could you list some of your priorities during your tenure in Vietnam?

Australia and Vietnam have a busy and diverse bilateral agenda and I will be seeking progress a large of number of priorities during my term as Ambassador.

As two nations that have experienced some of the greatest impacts from climate change, one of our highest priorities over coming years will be to enhance cooperation in support of our commitments to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as reflected in the joint commitment entered into by our leaders at COP26 last year. Climate change presents great risk to all nations, but the transition towards cleaner more affordable energy also presents economic opportunities which our two nations can embrace.

Our trade and investment relationship is another priority. The Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES) was launched late 2021 to support our shared goals to become top-ten trading partners and double two-way investment and is already helping to deliver strong growth in our economic relationship. However, there is significant potential for Australia and Vietnam to take our trade and investment relationship even further and I look forward to working closely with counterparts in business and government over the coming years to continue to implement initiatives under the EEES to achieve these goals.

I also look forward to further strengthening our Peacekeeping Partnership, and to seeing Vietnam take on a still more active and constructive role in global peacekeeping operations. Vietnam’s growing engagement in UN Peace Keeping Missions is a strong reflection of the Government’s efforts to play a more active role in international peace and security, and we have been proud to support Vietnam in its peacekeeping journey since 2014, when Vietnam deployed its first two officers to the UN Mission in South Sudan.

The initiatives being run by our Aus4Innovation program, in conjunction with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Australia’s National Science Agency (CSIRO), also opens up exciting opportunities for development and collaboration.

I recently delivered remarks at Vietnam’s National Conference on science and technology market in Vietnam – it’s a fascinating area that I am sure will result in positive change. Our cooperation on science and technology has presented a range of opportunities for us to take advantage of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, so I am eager to explore how we can continue to expand our fruitful cooperation in this field.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong on June 27. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Recently, our two Foreign Ministers have visited each other. How would these visits promote bilateral relations, as the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia next year?

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s visit to Hanoi on June 26-28, which was her first solo visit to Southeast Asia, was an important opportunity for the Minister to meet with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and other senior government officials, progress a range of bilateral matters, and engage in in-depth discussion on regional and international issues. It was wonderful to have Minister Wong visit Hanoi so early following the election of the new government, which was a clear reflection of the high priority Australia places on our relationship with Vietnam.

In addition to meeting with a range of government officials, Minister Wong also had the opportunity to officially launch the Vietnam-Australia Centre at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. The new Vietnam Australia Centre provides a new and important forum for bilateral collaboration and will serve as a platform to promote knowledge sharing between Australia and Vietnam’s future leaders.

We were delighted that Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son was able to visit Australia in September. This was the first ministerial level visit from Vietnam to Australia since 2019, and an important opportunity to follow-up on matters discussed during Minister Wong’s visit to Hanoi, including activities to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, and next steps in strengthening our bilateral ties.

Minister Bui Thanh Son’s visit represented a welcome return to our usual tempo of two-way visits and we are strongly looking forward to further high-level visits over the coming months.

What is your impression prior to and upon arriving in Viet Nam? What would you like to explore during your time in the country?

I had previously visited Vietnam when I was Australian Ambassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking, some years ago, so I had an initial impression of Vietnam from that time. But even still, being here again is already proving to be such an incredible and exciting experience.

Vietnam is a country that is already very familiar to most Australians. Australia is home to a large and vibrant Vietnamese population that have made an enormous contribution to Australian society. We are fortunate to have a lot of Vietnamese restaurants, so I’m also very familiar with Vietnam’s delicious cuisine, but it’s fantastic to see all the food available here, sold on the streets and in restaurants.

I’ve already tried a lot of classic street food dishes, such as pho, sticky rice with coconut, papaya salad and egg coffee but I’m looking forward to trying more, including some of the regional specialities.

I also can’t wait to see more of the country, both for work and for pleasure. I have just been in the south for work, meeting business contacts in Ho Chi Minh City and touring Australian businesses in Vung Tau and Phu My, and hope to visit our development programs in the north east soon. I am hoping to travel a good deal more.

The country has such immense diversity in its people, landscapes, foods and experiences, that I’m sure I will be kept very busy exploring over the next few years!

Australian Ambassador visits Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi. (Source: Australian Embassy in Vietnam)

Australia is one of the top choices of Vietnamese students. Could you please introduce the Australia Government scholarships and incentives for Vietnamese students?

With six of the world’s top 100 universities, Australia has an outstanding higher education system. Australia’s universities have produced leading scientists, designers, educators, entrepreneurs, artists, humanitarians and over 15 Nobel laureates who have made a profound impact on the world. There are around 24,000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia at any one time.

Since 1974, over 6,500 Vietnamese students have received Australian Government scholarships to study at Australian tertiary institutions.

Australia Awards Scholarships are prestigious fully funded awards offered by the Australian Government to Vietnam’s next generation of leaders to study in Australia. Through study and research, recipients deepen their skills and knowledge to drive change and contribute to Vietnam’s development.

Australia is a friendly and welcoming country, and our cities are consistently ranked as some of the most liveable in the world. Studying in Australia provides a life changing opportunity to gain a world class education, build life-long personal and professional connections and experience Australia’s diverse culture.

AAS recipients receive support for travelling, generous living expenses, tuition fees and health insurance during their scholarships period. They also receive pre-departure briefings, language training in Vietnam, academic advice and other assistance.

We particularly encourage people with disability, ethnic minorities and people from disadvantaged rural areas to apply for the scholarships. A support mechanism is available to assist equal participation at all stage of the application process and while studying in Australia. This includes the support for carer of student with disability.

In 2023, the Australian Government will fund 60 Australian Awards Scholarships for Vietnamese citizens for Masters studies at prestigious Australian universities. Scholarship applications for study in 2024 open on February 1, 2023.

In addition to the Australia Awards, the Australian Government also encourages international students to undertake high quality education and research in rural and remote Australia through the Destination Australian Program.

These scholarships allow international students to understand life in regional Australia, and to share social and cultural experiences to these communities. Students interested in the Destination Australia Program can learn more by contacting one of our regional universities.

Thank you!