Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations Nguyen Van Manh at the get-together to mark 45 years of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic relations. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – A get-together was held by the Ho Chi Minh CityUnion of Friendship Organisations and the municipal chapter of the Vietnam-AustraliaFriendship Association on February 6 to celebrate Australia Day (January 26)and 45 years of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic relations (February 26).
Congratulating Australia on its national day, Nguyen Van Manh, Vice Chairman ofthe Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations, said that the country hasconfirmed its position in the international arena thanks to its impressivedevelopment illustrated through high income per capita, modern infrastructureand advanced education system.
He noted that since Vietnam and Australia established their diplomatic ties 45years ago and especially the comprehensive partnership relations in 2009, bothsides have spared no efforts to strengthen relations in various fields.
They are cooperating in the fields of Australia’s strengths and Vietnam’sinterests like development aid, education-training, infrastructure, agricultureand rural development, he said, highlighting that the Australian people inVietnam have made significant contributions to developing multifacetedcooperation with Vietnam.
Currently, the two nations are enjoying sound bilateral trade with average annualgrowth standing at 12.5 percent and trade value hitting over 9 billion USD in2017. Australia has landed 378 projects valued at 1.7 billion USD in Vietnam,focusing on industry and construction, services, education, processing industryand agro-forestry-fisheries sector, Manh said.
Karen Lanyon, Australian Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City affirmed that Vietnamis one of the most important partners of Australia in Asia-Pacific. Their long-standinghistory of the successful trade and cooperation will help both sides create moretrade opportunities in the coming time, she added.
The bilateral ties have been consolidated thanks to increasing number oftourists travelling between the two countries, she said, citing over 320,000Australian arrivals to Vietnam in 2017.
Praising the Vietnamese community in Australia, she said they play an importantrole in fostering bilateral relations.-VNA
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