Melbourne (VNA) –RMIT University, the Victoria State Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Asian Institute for Social Studies in Australia, and the Vietnam - Australia Policy Institute has organised a special event in Melbourne to look back on the past 50 years of Vietnam-Australia relations and seek opportunities and development trends for their relationship in the way ahead.

Speaking at the event, Senator Tim Ayres, Australia's Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing, emphasised that Australia - Vietnam relations are increasingly developing as the two countries have a lot in common, especially sharing their commitment to building a stable, peaceful, resilient, and prosperous world, especially in Southeast Asia, a top priority of the Australian Government.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh said that many activities have been held in the past five decades.

Tim affirmed that these common points pave the way for cooperation between the two countries. The joint implementation of concrete and tangible actions will help the two countries seize cooperation opportunities in various fields, including economy, trade and education.

He said that 350,000 Vietnamese Australians have contributing to creating a multicultural and modern Australia.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh said that many activities have been held in the past five decades, helping bring the two countries' ties from friendship to partnership.

The ambassador affirmed that the bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam has achieved great results in all socio-economic fields. Bilateral trade has expanded 20% in the period 2018-2022, reaching a record of 23.5 billion AUD (15.73 billion USD) in 2022, making Australia the 7th largest trading partner of Vietnam. For the first time, Vietnam became Australia's 10th largest trading partner.

People-to-people exchanges have also been strengthened through the large number of Vietnamese Australians, who continue to play an important role in promoting friendship and understanding between the people of the two countries.
Australia has also emerged as one of the leading overseas education markets for Vietnamese students. Over the past 22 years, RMIT University - the first and largest foreign-owned university in the Southeast Asian country - has continued to support the Government of Vietnam with human resources improvement in order to help Vietnam become a high-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2045.

Fifty years ago, on February 26, Vietnam and Australia officially set up diplomatic relations. In the past five decades, bilateral relations have developed rapidly and sustainably, bringing about various benefits to the two countries.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have built a strong and enduring relationship with diverse and increasing interests, which unceasingly grows stronger and stronger. Vietnam is currently considered one of Australia’s most important bilateral partners. In March 2018, the two nations officially upgraded their ties to a Strategic Partnership level, opening a new page in bilateral relations.

In recent years, bilateral cooperation has expanded rapidly, covering various fields from security, defence, trade and investment to education, tourism and innovation. This development is evidence of the strong commitment of the two countries through high-level visits.