Australian experts impressed by the way Prime Minister Albanese immerses himself in Vietnamese culture and customs

Enjoying Vietnamese beer and banh mi was also an opportunity for Prime Minister Albanese to highlight the importance of Australian exports.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese eats banh mi and drinks draft beer during his visit to Vietnam.

On June 5, the Office of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a press release stating that the leader of the Oceanian nation has concluded his first official visit to Vietnam - Australia's strategic and economic partner and long-term friend.

The statement noted that 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Australia-Vietnam diplomatic relations. Since then, the partnership between the two countries has expanded significantly, with work underway to upgrade the Australia-Vietnam relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Mr. Layton Pike, co-founder of the Australia-Vietnam Policy Institute, commented that the official visit of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Vietnam was a great success. The leaders of the two countries held effective discussions on the region, security and economic prosperity... This is a sign that the bilateral relationship will continue to "bear fruit" in the coming time.

According to Mr Layton Pike, Prime Minister Albanese's visit was very successful both in highlighting key aspects of the relationship between the two countries - such as education, trade and security, as well as cooperation in areas such as clean energy and skilled labour.

During the visit, Prime Minister Albanese emphasized that Australia wants to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam to fill the shortage of skilled labor in Australia and considers this a top priority.

According to Mr. Layton Pike, the fact that both countries announced their commitment to upgrading bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is also a clear sign that the Australia-Vietnam relationship is increasingly flourishing and developing strongly.

Experts from the Australia-Vietnam Policy Institute expressed their joy at seeing the two sides agree to continue promoting many areas of cooperation, especially in addressing security and climate change challenges in the coming time.

In particular, Australia will support Vietnam in the energy transition process with a support of 105 million AUD (69.52 million USD) so that Vietnam can plan for sustainable development, develop clean energy and mining; and expand the support program for Vietnam in the agricultural sector. This is proof that the bilateral relationship will have momentum to develop in the coming years.

RMIT students and alumni welcome Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. (Source: RMIT)

Pike highly appreciated the opening of the RMIT Hanoi Industry and Innovation Hub, saying that the hub will facilitate collaboration between communities, government agencies, organizations and businesses in Hanoi to serve development priorities, including smart and sustainable cities, regional cooperation, emerging technologies and social innovation.

In parallel with RMIT’s undergraduate and postgraduate programs, the centre will contribute to building a more skilled and adaptable workforce through short-term education solutions and training courses for workers.

RMIT University has announced the next phase of its Vietnam Commitment, including a strategic investment fund worth AUD 250 million (equivalent to more than VND 3,800 billion). This move is considered by Prime Minister Albanese as a “vote of confidence” in the future of Vietnam and contributes to plans to double two-way investment.

Mr. Layton Pike also expressed his impression of how Prime Minister Albanese immersed himself in Vietnamese culture and customs and had a wonderful time in this Southeast Asian country.

According to him, all of these contributed to deepening the personal connection between the two leaders in particular as well as the bilateral relationship in general. Moreover, enjoying draft beer and bread was also an opportunity for Prime Minister Albanese to highlight the importance of Australian exports, such as barley and wheat flour - two products used to produce Vietnamese beer and bread as well as many other products.

The leader of the Australia-Vietnam Policy Institute expressed hope that the Australia-Vietnam relationship will continue to grow stronger, in the context that both Prime Ministers announced their intention to elevate bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

He also looked forward to seeing Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visit Australia to continue to strengthen and enhance the bilateral relationship, partnership and identify new areas of cooperation.

According to expert Layton Pike, looking more broadly, strengthening Australia's relationship with Vietnam is also an important part of the Albanese Government's determination to rebuild Australia's links with Southeast Asian countries.

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