A delegation from the National Assembly (NA) led by Deputy Chairman Uong Chu Luu visited Australia from June 23-28.

The delegation met with the President of the Senate, John Hogg, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bruce Scott, and worked with several Australian parliamentary agencies.

Senator Hogg praised the partnership agreement signed between the Vietnam ’s NA and the Australian House of Representatives in March 2008 and asked the Vietnamese legislature to extent the agreement to include the Australian Senate.

He also briefed his guests on the recent Prime Ministerial election.

During meetings, both parties reviewed the recent developments in Vietnamese and Australian ties in general and relations between the two legislative bodies in particular, especially after a comprehensive partnership was agreed upon during Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh’s visit to Australia in September 2009.

They exchanged views on judicial issues, the supervisory role of parliament and its committees, judicial reforms and preventing crime and corruption.

The Vietnamese delegation also met with the Australian Law Reform Commission and the New South Wales’ governmental committee on corruption./.

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VNPlus - The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has got together with several major Australian tourism companies to launch a tourism campaign.

According to the airlines office in Australia ’s largest city, Sydney , the campaign aims to promote Hanoi ’s image before its forthcoming 1,000 th anniversary , was built on the price for two people tickets including flights and land services.

Currently, Australian tourism companies are working with hotels, resorts and tourist agencies in Vietnam to effectively carry out the campaign, which will run from April 9 to June 30.

According to Vincent Le, the Executive Director of Advance Australia, a leading tour operator, the price of two-people tickets, Vietnam Airlines offers to visitors from Sydney and Melbourne, are very attractive.

In 2009, the airlines office linked up with an Australian media company to launch a quiz on Hanoi . The winners will be awarded free business class tickets in March and April this year before they visit Vietnam for Hanoi ’s 1,000 th birthday.

The national flag carrier operates eight direct flights per week to Sydney and Melbourne and plans to increase the number in the future to meet the demands of overseas Vietnamese./.
 

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VNPlus - The Vietnam International Bank and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia reached a strategic cooperation agreement on April 21 in Hanoi.

Under the agreement, the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) will take a 15 percent stake in the Vietnam International Bank (VIB). The CBA intends to request an increase in investment to 20 percent at its earliest opportunity.

The investment is important to the development of the relationship between VIB and CBA. Under a technical support programme reached previously, CBA has sent banking experts to VIB to identify skills gaps and opportunities in critical business areas, including retail banking, rish management, human resources, IT, treasury and finance.

As part of the strategic partnership, a longer-term capitality transfer programme (CTP) will be established to further enhance the operational and commercial capabilities of VIB.

The two sides will also engage in an ongoing working partnership to investigate other business opportunities. CBA has extensive experience in CTP with a strong track record of commitments in China.

Han Ngoc Vu, Chairman of VIB, said, “The Commonwealth Bank’s track record in China is a great indication of how it works with strategic partners in Asia to create long-term sustainable value to a business.”

“For VIB, a strategic partnership and CTP with such a strong and trusted financial institution as the Commonwealth Bank, will help us improve our competitiveness in the fast growing financial service industry in Vietnam .”

VIB achieved a compound annual asset growth rate of more than 40 percent in the past five years and branches have grown from 30 to 117, said Vu.

Simon Blair, Head of International Financial Services at CBA, said that despite several years of challenging economic times around the world, Vietnam had remained in a good position for long-term growth. “We wanted to participate in and support that growth,” he said./.
 

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VNPlus - Vietnam and seven other nations began their first negotiation round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Melbourne , Australia , on March 15.

The negotiators, also from Australia , New Zealand , the US , Singapore , Chile , Brunei , and Peru are expected to seat for four days, focusing their discussions obstacles in services, e-trade and green technology facing their businesses.

According to Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean, the TPP negotiation is very important as the pact will pave the way toward a long-term goal of a free trade area for the Asia-Pacific region.

The TPP will help strengthen economic integration within the region and work to support the Doha talks, which remain trapped in difficulties, said the Australian minister.

The TPP talks are expected to have four rounds of negotiation in 2010, with the next round scheduled for June.

The nations taken part in the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks are home to 470 million people and have a combined GDP of 16.2 trillion USD./.

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VNPlus - Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem received Qatar ’s Acting Minister of Business and Trade Khalid Bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah in Hanoi on March 15.

The Deputy PM expressed his delight with the recent fine developments in the bilateral ties, especially after Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Qatar in March 2009.

He said he hoped to see the two sides coordinate closely in speeding up the progress of several cooperative projects and programmes, including a showroom of Vietnamese goods in Qatar , agricultural projects and a joint investment fund between the two countries.

The Qatar official engaged in an exchange with Deputy PM Khiem on measures to boost the implementation of projects and expressed his wish to cooperate more with Vietnam in areas such as real estate and charitable work./.

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DFAT - On the occasion of the new lunar year of the tiger (Canh Dần), Australia extends to all Vietnamese wishes of health, happiness, success and prosperity for the Tet holiday. 2010 is the 1000th anniversary of the capital city of Hanoi and will be a special year for Vietnamese in Australia and worldwide.

As we enter the New Year, we have every confidence that the relationship between Australia and Vietnam will continue to deepen and prosper. Vietnam has been Australia’s fastest growing trading partner in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over the past five years. Our economic relationship will continue to grow as Vietnam continues its economic reform process. The Australia-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership, signed in September 2009 has elevated bilateral relations to a new level.

Australia welcomes Vietnam as the new Chair of the Association Nations and the East Asia Summit in 2010 and looks forward to continuing our close cooperation on regional issues.

Warm and extensive people to people relationships underpin bilateral ties between Australia and Vietnam. Australia is home to approximately 188,000 people who were born in Vietnam. Australia is an increasingly popular destination for Vietnamese students, with more than 24,000 studying in Australia in 2009. Tourism is also an important element in our relationship with over 210,000 Australians visiting Vietnam last year.

I wish you all good health, happiness, success and prosperity for the New Year.

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VNPlus 11/02/2010 - The Vietnamese community in Australia, including students, made critical contributions to the bilateral relations between the two countries, not only in the cultural area but also in economic and political fields, said Australian Governor General Quentin Alice Louise Bryce.

The remarks were made during her reception for the newly appointed Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia , Hoang Vinh Thanh, on Feb. 11 in Sydney .

Governor General Bryce said she was very impressed with the good performance of Vietnamese students studying in Australia , saying that they would be a bridge for an ever-developing relation between the two nations.

The growing number of Australian tourists coming to Vietnam not only to visit beautiful landscapes but also to experience Vietnam ’s culture, history and traditional values provides another foundation for the promotion of mutual cooperation in the future.

The Governor General took the occasion to call for Vietnam ’s support for Australia to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council during the 2013-2014 term.

Ambassador Hoang Vinh Thanh thanked Australia for the support it has provided Vietnam over the past years, which he said, has enabled the country to achieve significant progresses in economic development, poverty reduction and global integration.

The My Thuan bridge, Thanh said, is a vivid symbol for the fine relations between Vietnam and Australia . He said he wished that Australia would continue its support, especially in finance to help Vietnam complete the Cao Lanh bridge as scheduled.

He also called for Australia ’s cooperation and support in order for Vietnam to fulfil the role of ASEAN Chair in 2010.

At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Thanh conveyed an invitation from the State President of Vietnam to the Governor General of Australia to visit Vietnam in the nearest time possible./.
 

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VNA 25/01/2010 - State President Nguyen Minh Triet on January 25 sent a message of congratulations to Governor-General of Australia Quentin Bryce on the occasion of Australia ’s 222nd Independence Day (January 26).
On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent message of congratulations to his counterpart Kevin Rudd./.

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VNA 13/01/2010 - Australia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have decided to grant 1.3 million USD to help Vietnam cope with potentially devastating impacts of climate change in Mekong Delta.
Technical assistance grants will be used to carry out a full assessment of the climate change threats posed to the Mekong Delta region, and the actions needed for it to adapt in the face of an expected sea-level increase and more frequent and severe floods, according to an ADB news release issued on Jan. 13.
 

Vietnam is one of the nations most at risk from climate change, and the Mekong Delta in the south, which is home to a fifth of the population, and the main producer of rice, is the most vulnerable region in the country, the Manila-based financial institution said.

Preliminary studies show that up to 31 percent of the total land used for agriculture and aquaculture in the delta is at risk from a potential one metre rise in the sea level by 2100. This would have severe effects on the lives of about 4.8 million people, including over a million and a half poor.

A number of development agencies are providing climate-change linked assistance to Vietnam , but there has been no comprehensive study undertaken of the potential impacts of extreme climate events on the Mekong region.

The technical assistance will have two parts – modeling and assessment work to determine the likely future climate conditions in the region and their impact, and identifying appropriate climate change adaptation measures for targeted areas and sectors.

The total cost of the project is 1.63 million USD equivalent, with the Australian government providing an 800,000-USD grant, which will be administered by ADB. ADB is supplying 500,000 USD from its Climate Change Fund, while the Vietnamese Government will provide the remaining 330,000 USD.

The project will be carried out from January 2010 to April 2011./.

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VNA - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on the sidelines of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Dec. 17.
 

PM Dung expressed his pleasure at development in relations between Vietnam and Australia.
He thanked Australia for its assistance to Vietnam’s environmental protection and fight against climate change. He also asked Australia to transfer advanced weather forecast technologies and results of climate change research to the Asia-Oceania region.
PM Dung took this opportunity to propose Australia to consider early negotiations on a vacation labour agreement and an agreement on recognition of quarantine, as well as expansion of cooperation in vocational training, and assistance for Cao Lanh bridge construction.
The two sides need to work together in developing a plan of action to implement comprehensive partnership documents reached during a recent visit to Australia by Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, stressed the Prime Minister.
Australian PM Kevin Rudd agreed with PM Dung’s views, saying that the two sides need to accelerate the action plan on implementation of the comprehensive partnership, which is expected to be signed during a visit to Vietnam by the Australian PM next year.
The two countries need to sign a memorandum of understanding to promote security and defence dialogue mechanism, PM Rudd said.
Regarding climate change issue, PM Rudd said he wished to promote bilateral cooperation in environmental protection and weather forecast./.

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VNA 09/12/2009 - Vietnamese diplomats and members of the military and their Australian counterparts in Canberra reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations at a meeting held in Canberra on December 9 to mark the 65th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (December 22).
 

The Australian guests included H.E. Ms Gilian Bird, Acting Secretary of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; The Hon Peter Slipper, Member of the House of Representatives and Vice Chairman of the Australia-Vietnam Parliamentary Association; and Air Vice Marshall Geoffrey Brown, Deputy Chief of the Australian Air Force.

They all agreed that since the two countries first established diplomatic ties in 1973, they have both seen major progress in various fields, especially in security and national defence.

Australia opened its defence attaché office in Hanoi in February, 1999 while the Vietnamese office of defence attache was opened in Canberra in September, 2000.

In addition to a regular exchange of senior level visits to promote mutual understanding, the two armed forces have stepped up cooperation in anti-terrorist activities, border management, rescue work and relief aid for natural disasters and epidemics.

Australia has granted a number of scholarships to Vietnamese military officers and cadets to study in Australia and is one of the leading foreign donors to provide English training to the Vietnamese military.

The event, attended by numerous overseas Vietnamese and students studying at Australian universities, listened to Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Tan review the Vietnamese army’s glorious history.

The army has made a great contribution to, not only the struggle for national salvation, but also to economic development, concluded the Vietnamese diplomat./.

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New South Wales (NSW) attaches great importance to strengthening all-round cooperation with Vietnam, said NSW Governor Marie Bashir.

Ms Bashir made the statement at a reception given by Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in Hanoi on November 9.

She said she was happy to meet Mr Manh again in Hanoi during her visit to implement some of Australia’s Forever Study Fund projects in Vietnam.

She spoke highly of the results of Mr Manh’s recent visit to Australia, during which Vietnamese and Australian leaders agreed to raise the two countries’ relationship to the comprehensive partnership. She also congratulated Vietnam on its important achievements recorded in the Renewal process and global integration.

She affirmed that the Forever Study Fund will continue to provide assistance to Vietnam in the areas of education and community health through developing projects, training medical staff and increasing doctors’ research capacity.

For his part, Mr Manh acknowledged Ms Bashir’s contributions to bilateral cooperation in education and community health, especially through the governor-sponsored Forever Fund’s professional exchange and humanitarian projects. He expressed his belief that these projects will be successful, making a practical contribution to improving Vietnamese people’s health.

He said he hopes that the governor will continue to help promote the friendship and cooperation in not only health care, but also culture, education, economics and trade, between New South Wales and Vietnamese cities as well as between Australia and Vietnam.

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Party General Secretary Manh also met with Governor General Quentin Bryce, Senate President John Hogg, Speaker of the House of Representatives Harry Jenkins, opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull, New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees and Governor Marie Bashir.
He also received representatives of the Australian National University and “Forever Study” Fund as well as met with representatives of the Vietnamese community and students in Australia .
The Vietnamese Party chief and the Australian PM had frank and open talks on all aspects of the bilateral relationship as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern. They reaffirmed importance of the bilateral relationship and the broad range of cooperation between Vietnam and Australia on global and regional issues. The two sides agreed to establish the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Partnership, which lays out a clear framework to strengthen the bilateral relationship through building multi-faceted cooperation, ongoing development assistance and technical cooperation to combat people smuggling and counter terrorism. The Party General Secretary and the Prime Minister agreed that officials from both countries would discuss and develop an Action Plan to take forward these interests.
PM Rudd congratulated General Secretary Manh on Vietnam ’s important achievements in economic reform and welcomed the country’s initiatives for further development. Party leader Manh applauded Australia ’s role as one of the long-term donors and partners in Vietnam ’s development. Both sides noted that Australia was one of the top ten donors to Vietnam , contributing development assistance estimated at 106 million AUD in the 2009-2010 period. Prime Minister Rudd reiterated Australia ’s commitment to assist during the design phase and looked forward to further positive consideration of the Cao Lanh Bridge in the Mekong Delta, subject to the outcomes of the Asian Development Bank feasibility study currently underway.
Both sides noted the substantial contribution of education links to the bilateral relationship, including by building close ties between people of both countries. The two leaders also recognised the support extended by the Australian government to Vietnam in training and exchange of experience on administrative reforms and anti-corruption. The Australian PM noted that Australia was a leading destination for Vietnamese students, with more than 20,000 Vietnamese enrolments in Australian courses. Australian education providers had also enjoyed great success in Vietnam , with more than 14,000 students studying in Vietnam for Australian qualifications.
The General Secretary and the Prime Minister acknowledged the dynamic bilateral trade and investment relationship between Vietnam and Australia , noting that it was Australia ’s fastest-growing trade relationship in ASEAN. The two leaders agreed that the Vietnamese economy offered favourable opportunities for Australian businesses and committed to continued cooperation in developing these opportunities.
The two leaders discussed the impact of the global economic and financial crisis and the international response to the crisis. There has been unprecedented international cooperation to stabilise the global economy and restore confidence, with a range of global and regional institutions playing an important role such as the UN, G20, APEC and ASEAN. The Prime Minister welcomed Vietnam ’s important efforts and successes in mitigating the impact of the crisis and achieving a growth target of around 5 percent in 2009. The General Secretary congratulated Australia on its impressive economic performance among OECD countries.
The two leaders agreed on the importance of continued trade growth and the need for an ambitious and balanced outcome to the WTO Doha Development Round of world trade negotiations as soon as possible. The Australian PM welcomed Vietnam ’s early ratification of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, a key platform for further growth in bilateral trade and investment. He also applauded Vietnam ’s participation in negotiations to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and looked forward to working constructively and cooperatively with Vietnam during the negotiations.
The two sides agreed to negotiate an agreement on science and research cooperation in order to enhance collaborative research between Australian and Vietnamese scientists, building on existing cooperation in health and agricultural research.
In recalling the agreement between PM Rudd and PM Nguyen Tan Dung to deepen their strategic engagement, both sides welcomed the regional security dialogue held at senior officials’ level in Hanoi on August 20-21, 2009. The two leaders also highly valued the effectiveness of other cooperation dialogues between the two countries, including the Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue.
The General Secretary and the Prime Minister welcomed growing practical cooperation between Australian and Vietnamese government agencies, particularly in border security and combating transnational crime. The two leaders welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Exchange of Immigration Information earlier this year and looked forward to the signing of an agreement to establish the Transnational Crime Centre in Ho Chi Minh City later in 2009.
Party leader Manh and PM Rudd expressed satisfaction with the excellent cooperation between Vietnam and Australia in the Asia-Pacific region and on global issues. The PM welcomed Vietnam ’s upcoming chairing of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit (EAS) in 2010 and wished to work closely with the country during its period as Chair. The two sides highly valued and agreed to continue promoting cooperation between the two countries in regional and international forums such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, EAS, APEC, WTO and the UN. The General Secretary affirmed that Vietnam would continue to support and promote cooperation between Australia and ASEAN. Vietnam took note of and supported continued discussion of Australia ’s initiative for an Asia-Pacific community and will positively consider Australia ’s candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the 2013-1014 term.
General Secretary Manh expressed his deep gratitude to the Government and people of Australia for the warm hospitality extended to him and the high-level Vietnamese delegation. He extended his invitation to PM Kevin Rudd to make an official visit to Vietnam at a mutually convenient time. The Australian PM accepted the invitation with pleasure./.

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Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd reached this meeting of minds during their talks in Canberra on Sept. 7.
Both leaders expressed their delight at the rapid and effective development of their friendly and cooperative ties since Vietnam and Australia officially established diplomatic relations on February 26, 1973.
They spoke highly of progress in bilateral political cooperation through the increase of high-level meetings, and praised the efficiency of dialogue and cooperation mechanisms between the two countries, including the regional security dialogue and the Australia-Vietnam human right dialogue.
General Secretary Manh applauded Australia ’s move to become one of the largest donors for and long-term partners of Vietnam ’s development. He also appreciated and thanked Australia for its provision of official development assistance (ODA) to support Vietnam ’s socio-economic development, hunger elimination and poverty reduction, describing the Australian-funded My Thuan Bridge as a symbol of this bilateral relationship.
Host and guest affirmed their resolve to further expand and deepen friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Australia in the interests of their two peoples and for prosperity in each country, thereby contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.
The two leaders agreed to increase high-level meetings in different forms as well as visits at all levels and cooperation and consultation between sectors and ministries of the two nations.
Manh and Rudd agreed to beef up economic cooperation, especially in the fields of mining, light industry, processing, finance, and banking and services as well as escalating two-way trade.
They held that the two countries should encourage and create all possible favourable conditions for their businesses to invest in each other’s markets and expand close and durable cooperative ties, particularly in the post-global financial crisis period.
The two sides pledged to work together closely in order to effectively use Australian ODA capital. PM Rudd reiterated his government’s commitment to continuing granting aid to Vietnam , including the design and the possible funding of the Cao Lanh Bridge in the Mekong Delta.
PM Rudd asserted that the Australian government will increase the number of scholarships to Vietnamese university students and support Vietnam ’s doctoral training programme as well as training courses on administration, international law and English, designed for state employees.
Based on their current cooperation in health and agricultural research, the two sides decided to hold negotiations towards the signing of agreements in an effort to strengthen cooperation on scientific research between Australian and Vietnamese scientists.
Whilst discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, Manh and Rudd emphasised the need to promote Vietnam-Australia cooperation in regional and international organisations and forums, including the United Nations, the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
They noted that Vietnam and Australia should step up cooperation on global issues such as environmental protection, climate change, natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control, counter-terrorism, disarmament, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and fighting trans-national crime.
The Party leader highly praised and thanked Australia for its support for Vietnam in the country’s international integration process, including its accession to the APEC, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and its non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council for the 2008-2009 term.
He confirmed his backing of continued discussions on Australia ’s initiative to set up an Asia-Pacific Community and promised active consideration of Australia ’s bid to run for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-2014 tenure.
Party General Secretary Manh also promised to foster cooperative relations between Australia and ASEAN, especially when Vietnam takes over the group’s chair in 2010.
PM Rudd applauded Vietnam ’s support for Australia ’s efforts to become a member of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in 2010, as well as its Asian integration at ASEAN and EAS. He pledged to assist Vietnam in its talks to join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP).
On this occasion, Party General Secretary Manh invited PM Rudd to visit Vietnam . The Australian PM accepted the invitation with pleasure.
Following their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of documents to implement high-level agreements. Vietnamese Deputy PM Pham Gia Khiem and his Australian counterpart, Julia Gillard, signed these documents.
On the evening of Sept. 7, PM Rudd hosted a state dinner in honour of Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and his delegation./.

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The MoU, signed in Hanoi on September 8 during a visit to Vietnam by a delegation from Australia’s Federal Court, is the legal basis for the two courts to build and put into action a number of joint initiatives.
Under the MoU, both sides will focus on technical cooperation programmes, especially between their judges and court officials.
At their meeting, the two chief justices highlighted the importance of the relationship between the two courts, saying that closer ties would bring about practical benefits for both countries.
The Federal Court of Australia has offered an effective and practical assistance to Vietnam over the past few years, especially in building “a Judges’ Handbook” and helping to enhance the capacity of Vietnamese judges, said Chief Justice Binh.
The Australian official said there had been a lot of progress made between the two courts.
He added that in the future the ties would be enhanced./.

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AANZFTA was signed on February 27, 2009 in Thailand, marking the cooperation between all ASEAN members, including Việt Nam, and Australia and New Zealand in promoting economic and trade ties in the region.

Under the Agreement, up to 2018, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand will abrogate at least 90% of tariff categories. They also pledged to establish a close cooperation mechanism to implement non-tariff measures.

AANZFTA is expected to be a driving force for closer and more effective economic cooperation between Việt Nam and Australia and New Zealand.

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