Illustrative image. (Source: Internet)

Acting President Nguyen Thi Anh Xuan cabled her congratulatory letter to Governor-General of Australia David Hurley, while Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent congratulations to his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue also congratulated President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines and Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Milton Dick on the special day.

On the occasion, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son sent a similar letter to his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.

Vietnam and Australia set up their diplomatic relations in 1973. They upgraded their bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 and signed a Declaration on Enhancing the Comprehensive Partnership in 2015.

Vietnam is now considered one of Australia’s most important partners.

Ties in economy, trade, education, agriculture, and security and defence are considered the highlights of the bilateral relationship. Australia is currently the 10th-largest trading partner of Vietnam. In 2022, two-way trade stood at 15.6 billion USD, an increase of 25.8% compared to 2021. Future prospects hold promise, as the two countries are both members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).