Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife depart for Australia and New Zealand

Accompanying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh were: Minister, Head of the Government Office Tran Van Son; Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son; Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung; Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan; Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son; Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat; Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan; Governor of the State Bank Nguyen Thi Hong.

The delegation in Australia included Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam; Ambassador, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to ASEAN Nguyen Hai Bang. Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Van Trung joined the delegation in New Zealand. In addition, leaders of several ministries, sectors and localities also joined the delegation.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai sees off the Prime Minister and his wife at the airport. Photo: Nhat Bac

The Special Summit to celebrate 50 years of ASEAN-Australia relations with the theme “Partnership for the Future” was held in the context of dynamic cooperation between ASEAN and Australia in many fields.

The 50th anniversary is often considered a “golden anniversary” to review the achievements of cooperation over the past 50 years, thereby setting out directions for future cooperation, commensurate with the established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework.

After attending the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will pay an official visit to Australia and New Zealand. This is Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s first official visit to Australia and New Zealand as head of government, and the first visit by a Prime Minister to the two countries in more than seven years.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife depart. Photo: Nhat Bac

In Australia, the Prime Minister is expected to have many important activities; notably attending talks, signing/exchanging documents, press conferences and attending the official reception of the Australian Prime Minister; greeting the Governor-General and meeting with senior Australian leaders.

The Prime Minister will meet with embassy staff and the Vietnamese community in Australia as well as attend a number of other important activities with intellectuals, businesses, training institutions and research institutes in Australia.

It is expected that the two sides will sign and exchange many important cooperation documents in the fields of defense, energy, trade, banking, finance, diplomacy, education, justice, science and technology, etc.

Prime Minister visits Australia: An important step forward for bilateral relations

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Australia is expected to create the next important step in the bilateral relationship, especially in five potential areas of cooperation.