Vietnamese Australian Scholars & Experts Association debuts

VASEA officially made its debut on August 10, in Melbourne, Australia.

Those in attendance at the event included Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Associate Professor Dr. Bui The Duy, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski,  and Nguyen Dang Thang, the Vietnamese Consul General in Sydney, among others.

As part of his address, Professor Nghiem Duc Long of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) said that the establishment of the association represents the dedication shown by the Vietnamese community to both sides, as well as relations between the two countries.

 “Vietnamese scientists and experts in Australia often enjoy the advanced education of Australia and the very attentive nurturing of Vietnam, so this is also a way for VASEA to help Vietnamese scientists and experts in Australia be grateful to Australia, where we are living and working as well as our roots in Vietnam.

Everyone looks forward to their homeland and when they can, it is also the responsibility of VASEA members to be able to contribute to Australia, to Vietnam and to the relationship between the two nations in four very important areas, namely education and training, science and technology, technical transformation, sustainable development and policy development to intensify economic and diplomatic activities between Vietnam and Australia,” Prof. Long stated.

VASEA was first established on the basis of merging Vietnamese intellectual clubs in Australian states and territories which was set up in 2018, immediately after the nations upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership.

The official launch of the VASEA represents an important milestone for the Vietnamese intellectual and expert community in Australia in particular, as well as the Vietnamese community in Australia in general. This is also an activity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of both side’s diplomatic relations.

Ha Nguyen, vice president of the association, believes that the abundant resources of its members will be able to contribute to the further development of relations between the two nations.

“The community of Vietnamese intellectuals and experts in Australia is growing stronger day by day. VASEA gathers adult members in Vietnam, studying, living and working in Australia. Our members see that this is a great resource to contribute to Vietnam. Our association members can exchange knowledge, science and technology, make use of our knowledge to contribute to the development and promotion of relations between the two countries,” the VASEA leader said.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh hailed the contribution of the Vietnamese intellectual, expert, and scientist association in Australia to the cause of national development over recent times.

The Vietnamese diplomat believes that the association will gather together and connect the Vietnamese community of intellectuals and experts in Australia, whilst playing a pivotal role in organizing a broad array of activities regarding scientific co-operation, research, and technology transfer.

Welcoming the birth of VASEA, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang appreciated the contributions of Vietnamese intellectuals and experts in Australia to the mutual relationship and emphasised that domestic agencies highly respect and applaud the practical contributions made by Vietnamese intellectuals, scientists, and experts in Australia to the home country.

In his online speech, Deputy Minister Duy thanked Australian organisations and governments for creating favourable conditions for VASEA members to gain greater knowledge and expertise to contribute to both Australia and Vietnam.

VASEA is a non-profit organisation which gathers members who are Vietnamese intellectuals and experts living and working in Australia. The association's activities are based around pride in roots, respect, contribution, and diversity.

Ambassador Goledzinowski expressed his pleasure at witnessing the establishment of VASEA, as well as the establishment of a Vietnamese community in his nation.

The Australian diplomat affirmed that his country is proud to be multicultural with citizens that can proficiently use multiple languages, with respecting and preserving original culture being among Australia's strengths in the international arena.

According to VASEA's plan, over the next six months the association will organise a webinar activity each month across multiple fields, including financial management, carbon reduction in building materials and carbon statistics, digital transformation, climate change and water resources, digital applications to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, smart cities, future models of learning and teaching, and the carbon market.

Among the roughly 300,000 Vietnamese living in Australia, the number of Vietnamese intellectuals and experts is currently seeing a sharp increase.

The launch of the association marks the beginning of a new journey in which the Vietnamese community of intellectuals and experts in Australia are able to join hands to support each other to develop and open fresh opportunities to connect with their homeland, thereby bringing both sides closer together.