Vietnamese Students in Australia (SVAU) convenes its second congress in Canberra on August 6. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese Students in Australia (SVAU) convened its second congress in Canberra on August 6 to review its performance during the 2020-2022 tenure and map out plans for the next term from 2022 – 2024.

The hybrid event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh and some 40 outstanding Vietnamese students across Australia. It also saw the online attendance by representatives from the Central Committees of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Vietnam Students' Association and leaders of student associations from Vietnam.

Addressing the congress, SVAU Vice President Huynh Tan Dat said during the past term, the association has hosted a variety of activities to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among students, including a series of talks with experts in innovation for students and an annual global contest for innovative start-ups Hack4 Growth Australia held by its Vietnam Australia Innovation Network (NIC AU).

The NIC AU has also organised Innovation Expo 2020, and two virtual seminars on smart agriculture and high-quality agriculture which brought together speakers from Vietnam, the US, France and Australia to seek solutions for the sustainable development of agriculture in Vietnam, Dat said.

Additionally, the SVAU has launched numerous charitable events to raise funds for disadvantaged Vietnamese people and those hurt by natural disasters and COVID-19.

Dat, who is a PhD student at the University of Technology Sydney, was elected as the new SVAU President for the 2022 – 2024 term.

The SVAU debuted in July 2020. Australia is currently home to about 30,000 Vietnamese students.