Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn and her spouse Simeon Beckett. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — At the invitation of State President Lương Cường and his spouse, Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn and her spouse Simeon Beckett will pay a state visit to Việt Nam from September 9–12. The trip comes as bilateral relations thrive, particularly since the elevation of their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024.

Milestones in Việt Nam–Australia relations

Việt Nam and Australia established diplomatic ties on February 26, 1973, laying the foundation for a robust partnership with more diverse benefits. Over the decades, the relationship has evolved from a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 to an Enhanced Comprehensive Partnership in 2015, and a Strategic Partnership in 2018. The biggest leap came in March 2024 when Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s visit to Australia culminated in the agreement to elevate ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The March 2024 joint statement outlined six major orientations, including deepening political trust and diplomacy; enhancing economic, trade, and investment ties; advancing cooperation in sci-tech, innovation, digital transformation, and green transition; strengthening collaboration in culture, education, environment, and climate change; expanding people-to-people exchanges; and fostering mutual understanding in national defence- security toward peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Both nations pledged to develop the partnership on the basis of respect for each other’s international law, sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and political systems. The upgrade of ties to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, after more than 50 years of diplomatic ties, was described as a natural and necessary step.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Phạm Hùng Tâm highlighted the rapid expansion of cooperation across all six priority areas since the March 2024 upgrade. In October 2024, the two countries signed a 2024–27 action plan, with 96 per cent of the 180 agreed actions either completed or on track. Key achievements include the inaugural ministerial-level Security Dialogue in October 2024, enhanced collaboration in United Nations peacekeeping, a more balanced trade relationship, and a surge in tourism, with nearly 500,000 Australians visiting Việt Nam in 2024.

The partnership is supported by over 20 bilateral mechanisms, including annual meetings between PMs, foreign and defence ministers, as well as the Economic Partnership Conference and subnational cooperation forums. Notable recent engagements include the third annual PMs’ meeting in June 2023, the seventh Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in August 2025, the first Ministerial Dialogue on Trade in March 2024, the fourth Economic Partnership Ministers’ Meeting in October 2024, the first Ministerial Security Dialogue in October 2024, the 10th Strategic Dialogue at the deputy foreign and defence minister level in August 2025, and the eighth Defence Policy Dialogue in August 2025, among others.

Parliamentary cooperation has also flourished, both within bilateral and multilateral frameworks. Việt Nam and Australia continue to work closely at global and regional forums such as the UN, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and ASEAN.

Increasingly complementary economic, trade ties

Việt Nam and Australia are forging increasingly complementary economic and trade ties, with Australia ranking as Việt Nam's seventh largest trade partner and Việt Nam as Australia’s 10th. Two-way trade has surged in recent years, surpassing $12.4 billion in 2021, up 49.4 per cent from 2020 despite the pandemic. The momentum continued with $15.6 billion in 2022, $13.8 billion in 2023, and $14.1 billion in 2024. In the first seven months of 2025, it stood at 7.9 billion USD.

Both nations benefit from frameworks like the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), which offer tariff advantages and broader market access. Vietnamese exports such as shrimp, basa fish, and cashew nuts have gained traction in Australia, while Việt Nam relies on Australia’s resources and fuels. The economies are highly complementary, with Việt Nam excelling in electronics, machinery, apparel, and footwear, and Australia strong in mining and energy.

Agricultural cooperation is expanding. Australia has granted access to Vietnamese lychee, mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit and frozen shrimp, while Việt Nam has opened its market to seven types of Australian fruits, including oranges, mandarins, cherries, grapes, peaches, nectarines and plums. Negotiations for grapefruit exports are underway.

As of mid-2025, Australia invested in 864 projects worth $3.38 billion, focusing on manufacturing, information and communications, and hospitality services. Conversely, Việt Nam had 93 investment projects valued at more than 551 million USD in Australia, ranking 11th among Việt Nam's 83 outbound investment destinations. Key sectors include agriculture, forestry, wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing.

On official development assistance (ODA), Australia has long maintained stable ODA for Vietnam. Since diplomatic ties began over 50 years ago, Australia has provided a cumulative 3 billion AUD (1.97 billion USD). Australia remains one of Việt Nam's largest bilateral donors of non-refundable ODA. In March 2025, Canberra announced 96.6 million AUD in ODA for Việt Nam for fiscal year 2025–2026, following $95.7 million AUD for 2024-2025, 95.1 million AUD for 2023-2024, and 92.8 million AUD for 2022-2023.

Sci-tech cooperation is also a highlight. Both sides are effectively following the second phase of the Aus4Innovation programme, while the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO signed a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding on sci-tech, and innovation.

Looking ahead, Việt Nam and Australia see vast potential for cooperation in hi-tech industries, innovation, clean energy, mining, infrastructure, telecommunications, services, tourism, and high-tech agriculture. During Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s recent official visit to Vietnam in August, PM Phạm Minh Chính stressed the “ample room” for bilateral collaboration. He called for the effective implementation of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership action plan, regular dialogues, and $20 billion in two-way trade, particularly through market access and trade facilitation.

For her part, Minister Wong reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including in national defence-security, sci-tech, digital transformation, and education, and human resource development through ODA and investment funds.

Beyond trade and aid, education remains a pillar of bilateral ties. Việt Nam is Australia’s fifth-largest source of international students, with nearly 37,700 enrolled. Universities are deepening academic links, highlighted by RMIT University’s launch of the Australia–Việt Nam Policy Institute in March 2024 and the University of Sydney’s establishment of the Sydney Vietnam Institute in June 2024.

People-to-people ties are also reinforced through twinning relationships, such as HCM City–Queensland and Đà Nẵng–Gold Coast. To date, 15 such partnerships exist. Four Australian states, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia, have opened trade and investment offices in Việt Nam, as part of their Southeast Asia engagement strategies, with Vietnam a priority.

The Vietnamese community in Australia, numbering around 375,000, is the fifth largest ethnic community in the country. Remarkably, Vietnamese ranks among the four most widely spoken languages in Australia, after English, Chinese, and Arabic, reflecting both cultural affinity and mutual respect.

State visit

To deepen these bonds, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Phạm Hùng Tâm stressed the importance of enhancing people-to-people exchanges, particularly in culture, tourism, sports, and education-training. He advocated for supporting Vietnamese students in Australia and encouraging more Australians to experience Việt Nam through initiatives like the New Colombo Plan.

Underscoring the significance of the Australian Governor-General’s upcoming visit to Việt Nam, Tâm noted that the trip aligns with the Vietnamese Party and State’s foreign policy of valuing ties with Pacific partners, particularly Australia, a key regional player and an increasingly active and effective partner of Việt Nam.

From Australia’s perspective, the visit reflects its consistent policy of valuing and giving high priority to stronger engagement with Southeast Asia, including Việt Nam.

During her stay, the Governor-General is scheduled to meet high-ranking Vietnamese leaders, attend the opening of the Việt Nam–Australia Forum 2025, inaugurate the Australia–Việt NamPolicy Institute, and engage with Việt Nam's peacekeeping officers.

Tâm believed that the visit would further consolidate strategic trust between the two nations while contributing to regional peace, stability, and development. — VNA/VNS