Vietnamese businesses in Australia have made significant contributions to the growth of Vietnam-Australia trade in 2020, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh said at a ceremony to review activities of the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Association in Sydney (VEAS) on December 5. 

Vietnamese dragon fruit is welcomed in the Australian market
(Photo: VNA)

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has battered the global economy, resulting in the sharp fall in Australia’s trade with the rest of the world, Vietnam-Australia trade has grown 2.2% in the period from October 1, the Vietnamese diplomat said, adding the business communities in both nations have played an important role in the trade gain.

Since the two countries upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership in March 2018, the bilateral relations have developed to a new high. Most recently, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on November 5 officially inked an action programme to carry out the strategic partnership based on three pillars of economy, defence-security, and reform. Ambassador Thanh described the programme as a base to implement cooperative activities between the two nations in a more practical manner, particularly in the field of economy.

He stressed that the embassy and other representative offices in Australia will do their utmost to support enterprises of both sides to develop their business activities in the time ahead.

At the event, TMS Chairman Nguyen Ba Luan, who is also the VEAS President, said besides overcoming challenges during pandemic, over 60 VEAS members have engaged in many activities to support their homeland, including sending home US$15,000 to build flood-resistance houses in flood-hit regions.

In addition, the VEAS’s executive board helped its members to popularise and sell Vietnamese agricultural products in Sydney such as red-flesh dragon fruits, he added.