Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam hosted Lynn Bell, Australia's Ambassador to Counter Modern Slavery, People Smuggling and Human Trafficking at the Vietnamese Embassy in Canberra on June 4.

During the meeting, Ambassador Lynn Bell praised the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Australia, particularly the close cooperation between the two countries in combating human trafficking and transnational crime.

She highlighted the effective coordination between the Australian Border Force and Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, based on the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding on the return of Vietnamese citizens signed between Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection and Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security.

Bell thanked Vietnamese competent agencies for their swift handling of relevant cases, especially those involving irregular migration, and underscored the importance of information sharing and joint investigations. She also laid stress on the need to detect and warn against fraudulent schemes, such as bringing victims to Australia by sea under false promises of visas and jobs.

Ambassador Pham Hung Tam welcomed the close coordination among the Australian Border Force, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, and the Vietnamese Embassy in this area of cooperation, especially as tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries continue to expand.

He also expressed appreciation to Ambassador Bell for the updates on recent efforts, and to the Australian Border Force for maintaining a hotline and promptly informing the Embassy of cases involving Vietnamese citizens. He reaffirmed that citizen protection remains a top priority for the Embassy.

Ambassador Pham Hung Tam called for continued regular exchanges and close coordination between Ambassador Bell, the Australian Border Force, the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam, and the Vietnamese Embassy in dealing with related issues.

Hanoi seek broader cooperation with Australian localities

VOV.VN - Hanoi enhances cooperation with Australian localities through meetings with local aurthorites and an investment, trade, and tourism promotion conference in Sydney.