VOV.VN -Vietnam always values its friendship and cooperation with Australia, said Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh at a reception for Australian Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey in Hanoi on May 29.

Thinh hailed the strengthened bilateral political and diplomatic ties as indicated through regular high-level delegation exchange

The two countries’ security-defence cooperation has also been fostered thanks to Australia’s support in flying Vietnamese peacekeepers to South Sudan with two of its Royal Air Force transport aircraft last year, she told her guest.

She said bilateral economic collaboration boasts huge potential while hoping that Queensland, with its strengths in industry, agriculture, education, and research, will become a leading locality in propelling Vietnam-Australia ties forward in the time to come.

Currently, there are about 31,000 Vietnamese students in Australia, 2,000 of them in Queensland. Australia has provided a large number of scholarships for Vietnam, while Australian universities and their Vietnamese peers have joined several joint training programmes.

Thinh said she hopes Queensland will bolster its cooperation with Vietnam in education, particularly the training of Vietnamese students and public personnel.  

In reply, Paul de Jersey said he hopes Queensland will have more chances to step up cooperation with Vietnamese localities across a multitude of fields, particularly education, tourism, energy, and high-technology.