Party leader and President Tô Lâm met Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn in Canberra on Tuesday morning (local time). VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

CANBERRA – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and State President Tô Lâm met with Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn in Canberra on Tuesday morning (local time).

The meeting followed a formal state welcome ceremony, staged with the highest protocol for visiting heads of state.

Governor-General Mostyn expressed her pleasure at meeting General Secretary and President Lâm again in Canberra after her first state visit to Việt Nam in September 2025.

She said that bilateral relations were thriving on the foundation of solid political trust and believed that the visit would yield new gains and inject new momentum into the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Việt Nam and Australia in the new period.

The top leader congratulated Australia on its achievements under Mostyn’s leadership, particularly progress in social cohesion, gender equality and sustainable development. He expressed belief that Australia’s steady course would not only bring prosperity to its own people and cultivate Việt Nam–Australia relations, but also make a positive mark on peace, stability, and prosperity across the region and the world.

Turning to bilateral ties, he welcomed the powerful forward march of Việt Nam–Australia ties after more than 50 years of diplomatic relations and the ongoing rollout of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Australia is a friend and a reliable partner of Việt Nam with many shared strategic interests, he reaffirmed, stressing that Việt Nam highly values Australia’s companionship in its national development process and wants to deepen cooperation in a substantive, practical, and effective way.

Briefing the Governor-General on Việt Nam’s socio-economic gains and major successes after more than 40 years of Đổi Mới (Renewal), General Secretary and President Lâm shared Việt Nam’s historic achievements following recent major political events.

He particularly singled out the consensus reached at the third plenum of the 14th Party Central Committee to build a new development model powered by productivity, knowledge, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, quality workforce and modern governance, coupled with green growth, sustainable development and extensive global integration.

This reflected the determination and ambition of Vietnamese leaders and people to achieve breakthroughs, hit the two centenary goals and become a high-income developed country by 2045, he said.

With the world undergoing profound changes and both nations facing high development demands, he said Việt Nam and Australia must tighten cooperation further. He wished his visit would elevate bilateral ties to a new level, matching the rising requirements of both countries.

Governor-General Mostyn expressed her admiration forViệt Nam’s development achievements and dynamism, particularly its strong transformation in the areas of the economy, science and technology, and international integration.

Australia and Việt Nam share many similarities in their development vision, regarding science and technology, innovation, education and a highly skilled workforce as key drivers of development. The leader affirmed that this would provide a favourable foundation for the two countries to expand cooperation into new areas.

Governor-General Mostyn affirmed that Australia wished to become a trusted partner of Việt Nam and would stand ready to accompany and support the country in achieving its development goals.

Regarding directions for cooperation, General Secretary and President Lâm recommended that the two countries continue to strengthen political trust through high-level exchanges and cooperation channels; expand defence and security cooperation; and promote trade and investment, working towards a bilateral trade target of US$20 billion and a substantial increase in two-way investment.

Việt Nam hoped to attract more high-quality capital from Australian businesses and investment funds through Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, while proposing that the Australian State and Government continue to facilitate Vietnamese businesses’ expansion of their operations in the country.

In development cooperation, education and knowledge sharing, he proposed that Australia continue to support Việt Nam in strengthening public governance capacity, administrative reform and digital transformation in the public sector, while expanding scholarships, linkages of universities and research institutes, and vocational training cooperation to meet workforce demands in emerging industries.

The top leader also proposed strengthening cultural and tourism exchanges and people-to-people connectivity, particularly among young people, researchers and younger generations of leaders. Appreciating Australia’s multicultural policy, he hoped the country would continue to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community there to grow, make positive contributions to its society and serve as a bridge of friendship between the two nations.

Governor-General Mostyn emphasised the importance of people-to-people and community ties in building a lasting foundation for bilateral relations. She spoke highly of the increasingly prominent contributions of the Vietnamese community in Australia, as well as the role of Vietnamese students, intellectuals, experts and businesspeople in promoting connections between the two countries.

Australia wished to continue creating a favourable environment for the Vietnamese community to draw on its strengths, preserve its cultural identity and contribute to the diversity and prosperity of Australian society, she said.

The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, underscoring dialogue, cooperation and respect for international law, while working towards a peaceful, stable, inclusive and sustainably developing Indo-Pacific region.

General Secretary and President Lâm invited Governor-General Mostyn to visit Việt Nam again at a convenient time, which she accepted with pleasure. VNA/VNS