The host leader welcomed Penny Wong on her second visit to Viet Nam as Foreign Minister of Australia.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) shakes hands with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia Penny Wong, Ha Noi, August 22, 2023 - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Pham said he expects that the visit would contribute to bringing the Viet Nam-Australia strategic partnership to the next level.

He suggested the two countries strengthen educational, labour, cultural, and people-to-people ties; encourage their enterprises to expand investment in the fields they are strong at; and bolster partnerships in such new areas as climate change, energy transition, green growth, and digital transformation.

The Prime Minister took the occasion to express his gratitude to Australia for its valuable support for Viet Nam via official development assistance (ODA) and scholarships for Vietnamese students and postgraduates.

In reply, Wong expressed the pleasure to come back to Viet Nam on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

She proposed the two sides bolster  cooperation to lift bilateral relations to a new level in the time ahead, particularly in the pillars of politics - diplomacy, security -defense, economy - trade - investment, science - technology, and innovation.

On this occasion, the minister announced a new aid package worth over AUD 94 million (US$ 60.3 million) for climate change response in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam.

Regarding regional and international issues, the diplomat underlined that Australia respects the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the recently established comprehensive strategic partnership with the bloc.

Australia will continue to give a priority to the Mekong Region and attaches importance to cooperation and contribution to regional peace, stability, balance and respect for international laws, said Wong./.