General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm (R) hosts Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn in Hà Nội on September 10, 2025. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — At the invitation of Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn and New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President of Việt Nam Tô Lâm, together with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, is paying state visits to the two nations from August 9 to 14.

The Australia leg is historic as it is the first-ever state visit by a Vietnamese Party and State leader.

The trip comes as the Việt Nam–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is booming. Leaders expect it will inject new momentum, making ties deeper, more substantive and more effective.

More than five decades of fruitful Việt Nam–Australia ties

Việt Nam and Australia established diplomatic ties on February 26, 1973. Since then, they have built a robust and effective partnership, with Việt Nam now seen as one of Australia's most important bilateral partners.

Cooperation has surged, especially after the two sides upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009, signed the Declaration on Enhancing the Australia–Việt Nam Comprehensive Partnership in 2015, and elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in March 2018.

In March 2024, they issued a joint statement on upgrading their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, creating a framework for deeper cooperation that serves mutual interests of their peoples, for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The blueprint targets higher, more strategic political and diplomatic trust; more inclusive, substantive and effective economic, trade and investment ties; stronger cooperation in science, technology, innovation, digital transformation and green transition; more comprehensive and profound links in culture, education – training, environment and climate change response; more open and sincere people-to-people exchanges and intergenerational connections; and greater mutual understanding, empathy and sharing in national defence – security.

An action plan for implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership 2024–2027 was signed in October 2024. In just two years, the two sides completed 96% of its items, a testament to strong political will and effective coordination across their ministries, agencies and localities.

High-level visits and contacts, dialogue mechanisms and close coordination at global and regional forums have further boosted political trust. During Australian Governor-General Mostyn's state visit to Việt Nam in September 2025, both sides agreed to aim for 20 billion USD in two-way trade and double bilateral investment while expanding market access for each other's key products.

More than 20 bilateral cooperation mechanisms are now maintained flexibly, including annual meetings between the two Prime Ministers, foreign and defence ministers, and the Economic Partnership Meeting.

National defence – security ties have advanced. A milestone was the first Việt Nam–Australia Ministerial Security Dialogue in Canberra in October 2024. Australia has uniquely supported Việt Nam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations by transporting field hospitals and providing English-language and military medical training.

The two countries have also worked closely together at global and regional forums, including the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Economic, trade and investment ties as a key pillar

Australia ranks among Việt Nam's top economic partners while Việt Nam is a growing trading partner of Australia in Southeast Asia.

Bilateral trade has already topped 14 billion USD. In the first half of 2026, trade surged almost 22% year-on-year to 8.1 billion USD, with Vietnamese exports to Australia jumping 25% to 3.8 billion USD. The two countries are targeting 20 billion USD in trade and doubled investment in the coming years.

A key advantage is that the two economies are complementary, not competitive. Both belong to new-generation free trade pacts, including 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), creating a stepping stone to expand trade, diversify supply chains and develop future industries.

Australia is among Việt Nam's top 10 trade, tourism and official development assistance (ODA) partners. It pledged 98.3 million AUD (69.5 million USD) in grant ODA for fiscal 2026–27, up from 96.6 million AUD of the previous fiscal year, bringing total ODA since 1973 to more than 3 billion AUD. Funds target infrastructure, digital transformation, climate change response and green transition, and support training through the Việt Nam–Australia Centre at the Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics.

Science, technology and innovation are emerging as a new engine of bilateral relations. Phase II of the Aus4Innovation programme and a memorandum of understanding on innovation are driving practical cooperation in agriculture, health care, biosafety and environment. The Việt Nam–Australia Strategic Technologies Centre, opened in Hà Nội in June 2025, is focusing on 5G, 6G, artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors. Together, Aus4Innovation and the centre are paving the way for joint work on AI, semiconductors, digital data and critical minerals.

The Australia–Việt Nam Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Initiative, launched in July 2026, is boosting joint research and fostering links among universities, research institutes and businesses.

Education remains a bright spot. Australia offers about 70 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to Việt Nam each year. Việt Nam now ranks fourth globally in the number of students studying in Australia, with nearly 25,000 enrolled in 2026.

People-to-people and cultural ties are expanding, with 15 active sister-city and -locality partnerships. Examples include links between Khánh Hoà, HCM City and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu with Australia's Northern Territory, and between HCM City and New South Wales and Victoria.

In early 2026, the Huế Royal Court Music Ensemble made its first extended tour of three Australian states, spreading Vietnamese culture and deepening mutual understanding.

Historic visit aims to supercharge partnership

This is the first visit to Australia by a key Vietnamese leader since the March 2024 upgrade. It underscores Việt Nam's view of Australia as an important Indo-Pacific partner and its determination to make the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership more substantive and effective.

The trip also marks a crucial step to realise the foreign policy adopted at the 14th National Party Congress.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Mạnh Cường said the visit comes as Việt Nam pursues a new development model driven by productivity, knowledge, science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. They are also areas where Australia excels, from basic research and strategic technologies to workforce training and modern governance.

A key focus is to further consolidate political trust at the highest level, generate new momentum for the partnership framework, and set cooperation priorities for the coming time.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Phạm Hùng Tâm said the visit will mark an important milestone in deepening the partnership and pave the way for breakthroughs in three areas: digital transformation, science and technology, and digital economy as new growth drivers for both; building sustainable supply chains to bolster economic resilience; and new momentum in trade, investment, education and traditional healthcare cooperation.

Against a backdrop of rapid global and regional uncertainties, the visit carries significance far beyond bilateral ties. Leaders will hold in-depth discussions on shared global and regional concerns and strengthen coordination at multilateral forums, reaffirming their commitment to peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world.

The state visit marks a new chapter in Việt Nam–Australia relations, showcasing the strategic vision and determination of both nations' leaders to forge increasingly effective ties built on mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual benefit. — VNA/VNS