The delegation included Mr. Kevin Hogan, MP, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism; Ms. Anne Urquhart, Senator; Ms. Le Thi Trang Dai, Australian-Vietnamese MP and a number of other officials.

Welcoming the delegation at the airport were Chairman of the Law Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam - Australia Friendship Parliamentarians Group Hoang Thanh Tung; Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Le Thu Ha.

240820240114 dsc_0394ok (1).jpg
Chairman of the National Assembly's Law Committee Hoang Thanh Tung and Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Le Thu Ha welcomed President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines. Photo: National Assembly

This is Ms. Sue Lines’ first official visit to Vietnam as President of the Australian Senate. The visit takes place in the context of increasingly strong cooperation between Vietnam and Australia, especially since the two countries established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March.

During a meeting in July on the occasion of Australian Senate President Sue Lines's visit to attend the funeral of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man emphasized that the good relationship between Vietnam and Australia has a history of more than 50 years.

The two countries have established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, creating a framework to strengthen and deepen cooperative relations, meeting common aspirations, for the common interests of the two peoples, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Economic and trade cooperation is a bright spot in bilateral relations. Vietnam and Australia are each other's leading trade partners. In 2023, total two-way trade turnover will reach 13.8 billion USD; in the first 7 months of 2024, it will reach 8.23 ​​billion USD.

Over the 50 years since establishing diplomatic relations, Australia has provided Vietnam with a total of 3 billion Australian dollars (AUD).

The cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Australian Parliament has also developed well both bilaterally and at multilateral parliamentary forums. The two sides are actively coordinating to implement the Cooperation Agreement between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Australian Parliament signed in 2022.

Another pillar of cooperation that has been strengthened between Australia and Vietnam in recent times is the green energy transition. During his visit to Vietnam in June 2023, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a new partnership worth AU$105 million.

In August 2023, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, during her visit to Vietnam, announced a support package worth 95 million AUD to help Vietnam respond to climate change, especially for the Mekong Delta region.

Proposal to recognize Vietnamese community as ethnic minority in Australia

Proposal to recognize Vietnamese community as ethnic minority in Australia

On the afternoon of March 7, in Canberra, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his wife and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation visited officials and staff of diplomatic missions and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Australia.
Joint Statement on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Australia

Joint Statement on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Australia

Full text of the Joint Statement on upgrading relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Australia.
Vietnam and Australia upgrade relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Vietnam and Australia upgrade relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

The decision to upgrade relations between Vietnam and Australia was announced by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, making Australia the 7th country with which Vietnam has a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.