HCM City leader upbeat about bilateral ties with Australia

At a meeting on August 23 with the Australian diplomat, the municipal leader said  over the past half century, the Vietnam-Australia relationship has witnessed robust development, characterised by harmonious bonds and deepening political trust, and increasingly comprehensive, practical, and effective cooperation across a variety of areas.

Nen glowingly spoke of Wong’s support to promoting cooperation between HCM City and Australian partners.

Ho Chi Minh City and Australian partners have maintained a strong and cooperative relationship in the spheres of investment, education, and healthcare, he said, emphasizing  that the southern metropolis aspires to further enhance cooperation with Australian partners, particularly in such areas as high-quality human resources training, energy transition, urban infrastructure development, and climate change mitigation.

He expressed his confidence that the Australian guest’ official visit to Vietnam helps not only tighten the Vietnam-Australia relations but also open up new cooperation opportunities between the governments, businesses, and people of the two countries.

The shared interests and concern between the two countries, coupled with their trust, expectations, and determination, will help create even more effective breakthroughs in the bilateral relations in the near future, he said.

For her part, Wong said the high-level visits between the two countries this year demonstrate their mutual interest and common goals in developing bilateral relations, towards mutual benefits for the stable development and prosperity of the region.

According to the Australian official, looking back on the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Australia takes pride in its effort to enhance bilateral relations, including upgrading the relationship to a strategic partnership which serves as a foundation for the two countries to intensify cooperation activities across multiple  fields.
Australia consistently recognises HCM City as a vital component of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam, and it has a desire to further strengthen close cooperation activities with the southern hub in areas of mutual interest, she went on.  

Acknowledging the cooperation proposal from HCM City’s leader, Wong stated that the Australian Government recently decided to provide 94.5 million AUD (over US$60.76 million) for climate change mitigation efforts to be implemented in the Mekong Delta region.

Australia desires to collaborate with Vietnam, including HCM City, in building a legal framework for educational cooperation between the two sides, thus making it easier for Australian academies and universities to establish branches in the city, as well as strengthen student exchange activities between the two nations, she added.

During her stay in HCM City, Wong will have a talkshow with students of the University of Economics.