Australia and Vietnam building ties to last

Australia and Vietnam building ties to last

Exciting tie-ups have been made in recent times between Vietnam and Australia. Newly appointed Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird talked to VIR’s Duc Hanh her insider experiences and priorities in her new mission in Vietnam.

How do you assess the cooperation between the two countries in the past year?

Gillian Bird, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam

The Australian-Vietnamese relationship is stronger than ever. When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh upgraded our bilateral relationship in March last year, this was an historic moment, putting our countries in each other’s top tier of diplomatic relations.

The comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) reflects our cooperation, our strategic trust, and shared ambition for our region. It supports expanded cooperation on climate, environment and energy, and digital transformation and innovation, building on our established collaboration across defence and security, economic engagement, and education.

Australia and Vietnam have already delivered excellent practical outcomes, in fields such as deepening economic engagement, strengthening defence ties, and enhancing cooperation on science, technology, and innovation. We also have increased our development cooperation with Vietnam to almost AUD100 million this year.

How is Australia supporting Vietnam’s economic growth through development programmes and other cooperation?

Australia’s prosperity, security, and economic future are linked with Southeast Asia, we understand that when our region prospers, Australia prospers.

Our official 2023 programme on Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 had important recommendations for Vietnam, leading to the following: the establishment of an Investment Deals Team with a hub in Ho Chi Minh City to identify and facilitate outbound investment opportunities for Australian investors; a AUD2 billion Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility to catalyse Australian private sector investment in Vietnam and the region;  and a regional technology Landing Pad in Ho Chi Minh City.

Today, Australia is one of the top 5 donors to Vietnam, working in partnership to support Vietnam’s economic growth, climate change, human resources, skills development, and gender equality and social inclusion as set out in the Australia-Vietnam Development Partnership.

What other plans from Australia can accompany Vietnam on its development journey?

We are building on Australia’s long support for more than 40 years for innovation in agriculture, especially in the Mekong Delta through our development programme, using scientific breakthroughs, for example, to improve the resilience of rice.

Australia is now also supporting Vietnam’s digital transformation journey, and we see great opportunities for cooperation on strategic technologies such as 5G, AI, semiconductors, and undersea cables.

This week, I will open the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technologies Centre. This is a great example of partnership and collaboration between our two governments, the private sector, and education institutions on strategic technologies.

Aus4Innovation is a 10-year AUD33.5 million flagship programme launched in 2018, aimed at strengthening Vietnam’s innovation system to support inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development. This initiative has supported over 80 research and industry partnerships, and trained hundreds of Vietnamese experts, strengthening Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem for long-term growth.

We recently announced the fifth round of partnership grants, providing another AUD2 million for high-tech solutions to tackle climate change in Vietnam’s agricultural sector.

How do you assess the importance of international cooperation and regional partnerships to maintaining peace and stability and maximise the benefits for Vietnam and Australia?

Australia supports ASEAN centrality as underpinning an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. We are proud to be ASEAN’s oldest official dialogue partner, and one of its first CSPs.

Australia also looks forward to supporting Vietnam in hosting the signing ceremony for the UN Convention Against Cybercrime in Hanoi later this year, which will be the first-ever UN convention signed in Vietnam and reflect its active role in the multilateral system.

Australia wants a region where countries can make sovereign choices, no one country dominates, and international law is upheld. I have a long-standing interest in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which sets out the comprehensive legal framework for all activities in the seas and oceans.

Australia will continue to voice concern when countries pursue claims that are inconsistent with this law to ensure it, and the rules-based order, are not undermined.

VIR