Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên addressed the Vietnamese businesspeople in Australia forum on November 19 in Melbourne. — VNA/VNS Photo

MELBOURNE — A forum of Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Australia took place in Melbourne on Wednesday, highlighting investment, trade, and intellectual cooperation.

Co-organised by Việt Nam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Embassy, and Trade Office in Australia, the forum demonstrated the Vietnamese Government’s and MoIT’s attention to the overseas Vietnamese (OV) business community there – one of the largest of its kind, while providing updates on economic developments, business opportunities, and policies encouraging the group to invest and do business in the homeland.

Data presented by the ministry offered OV enterprises useful insights, reflecting Việt Nam's deepening economic integration and positive results across industrial production, energy, and trade.

The discussion session heard 10 presentations from Vietnamese businesspeople in Australia, highlighting their role in connecting domestic and overseas communities and contributing to Việt Nam's development. Their comments not only reflected practical business experience in the Australian market but also expressed aspirations and policy recommendations to enhance their role and strengthen linkages with domestic peers.

Opening the forum, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên noted that over the past five years, OV entrepreneurs in Australia have invested more than US$1.8 billion in Việt Nam and brought hundreds of Vietnamese products into major Australian supermarket chains, while also transferring technology and introducing to Việt Nam modern management models, ERP solutions, blockchain-based traceability systems, and clean food processing technologies.

The minister stressed that mobilising the resources of OV, especially intellectuals and entrepreneurs, is an essential task for the 2025–2030 period and beyond.

He called on Vietnamese representative agencies in Australia to listen closely to the views of the OV community, particularly businesspeople, and help strengthen connections between them and enterprises at home. He also encouraged Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Australia to provide regular input on socio-economic development, science and technology, innovation, green transition, digital transformation, circular economy, and the knowledge economy. He also asked the group to continue to play a pioneering role in investment and investment attraction in Việt Nam, especially in high-tech sectors, clean energy, manufacturing, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.

Ambassador Phạm Hùng Tâm said Vietnamese businesses in Australia not only participate directly in trade and investment cooperation but also serve as bridges between enterprises and localities of the two countries. They have also taken the lead in social and humanitarian activities, regularly organising fundraising drives to support people in Việt Nam affected by natural disasters, contributing to activities for the homeland’s sea and islands, and assisting Vietnamese students and community members in Australia.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents on the sidelines of the forum, Tran Ba Phuc, President of the Vietnamese Business Association in Australia, said an increasing number of OV entrepreneurs in Australia are seeking investment opportunities in Việt Nam. He welcomed Resolution 68-NQ/TW, which was issued by the Politburo on May 4 this year and identified the private sector as a key driver of the national economy, noting that overseas entrepreneurs are encouraged by the Vietnamese Government’s new policies.

Meanwhile, Đỗ Văn Long, founder and CEO of Australia Blockchain, which has a decade of experience in Việt Nam, shared that his company plans to connect investors and professional import-export firms in both countries to help integrate technology into quality control during bilateral trade processes. He expressed hope that both the Vietnamese and Australian governments will adopt supportive policies for newly established Vietnamese tech enterprises in Australia. — VNA/VNS