Australia – Steadfast and trusted partner of Vietnam

THE HANOI TIMES — The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between Australia and Vietnam is a major milestone in the bilateral relationship, founded on trust, shared values, and a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

Australian Ambassador Gillian Bird affirmed this valuable aspect in the relations that have been tested for over five decades.

“In a complex and shifting geopolitical environment, Australia is a steadfast, reliable, and trusted partner for Vietnam,” Ambassador Gillian Bird shared with The Hanoi Times.

The bilateral relationship was upgraded in March 2024 by Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Pham Minh Chinh, placing the countries in each other’s top tier of diplomatic relations.

As such, in just over a year, both countries have already seen strong, tangible outcomes across multiple areas of cooperation.

Under the CSP’s Plan of Action, they have deepened economic engagement, strengthened defense and security, maritime and marine resource collaboration, and advanced cooperation in science, technology, and innovation.

Australia has also increased its development cooperation with Vietnam to AUD96.6 million (US$63.5 million) this year, reflecting Australia’s continued commitment to Vietnam’s sustainable development.

“The CSP has broadened our partnership to include emerging and future-oriented areas such as climate change, clean energy, and digital transformation. These are priorities both our nations share, and they will be key focus areas during my term,” Ambassador Gillian Bird said.

The ambassador will also prioritize strengthening education, trade, and people-to-people links, areas that have long underpinned the friendship. “We want to ensure that our relationship continues to evolve in ways that benefit both our countries and contribute to regional stability.”

To concretize the goals, economic ties are a vital pillar of the Australia–Vietnam Strategic Partnership and play a central role in the shared prosperity.

“Deepening our economic engagement with Vietnam is a top priority for the Australian Government. With complementary economies and increasingly integrated supply chains, Australia and Vietnam are natural economic partners. We are not competitors but collaborators,” Ambassador Bird highlighted.

Vietnam is now Australia’s 14th largest trading partner, with two-way trade in goods and services reaching AUD28.2 billion (US$18.5 billion) in 2024, an 8% increase from the previous year. Australia’s key exports to Vietnam include coal, education, iron ore, cotton, and tourism, while its main imports are tourism services, telecom equipment, electrical machinery, crude petroleum, and footwear.

“This growing trade reflects strong mutual interest and trust between our business communities,” the ambassador said.

Regarding the regional trade landscape, Vietnam plays a pivotal role in Australia’s broader economic engagement with ASEAN. As active members of key regional trade agreements, including the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the two countries are committed to reinforcing the rules-based global trading system.

These agreements present significant opportunities for Australian and Vietnamese businesses to expand cooperation, diversify their markets, and build more resilient supply chains.

As Australia and Vietnam pursue net-zero emissions by 2050, their collaboration on climate, environment, and energy under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has become increasingly vital.

Energy transition remains a core focus, building on decades of cooperation such as Australia’s early support for Vietnam’s power infrastructure. Australia continues to back Vietnam through major development programs that promote clean energy, sustainable transport, and digital transformation.

Key programs also include Aus4Adaptation, a 10-year, AUD 75 million ($48.7 million) program aimed at strengthening climate resilience, particularly in vulnerable regions like the Mekong Delta. The Aus4Growth program, with a budget of AUD 90 million ($59.2 million) running through 2031, is a flagship initiative in this effort.

Australia channels support through regional partnerships and multilateral organizations, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, to advance Vietnam’s climate and energy goals, with a strong focus on sustainable infrastructure and inclusive growth.

Australia has committed significant financial resources such as the Australian Development Investment fund worth AUD 250 million (US$164.4 million) and the Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility with AUD 2 billion (US$1.3 billion) in funding to accelerate investment in clean energy and critical infrastructure.

In agriculture, Australia supports Vietnam’s goal to develop one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice through programs promoting sustainable and adaptive farming practices.

Marine conservation is another priority, with Australian-developed artificial intelligence technology helping Vietnam monitor and restore coral reefs while improving marine resource management.

In a demonstration of its international climate leadership, Australia has announced its bid to co-host COP31 in 2026 with Pacific nations in Adelaide. This reflects its commitment to working closely with regional partners, including Vietnam, to advance global climate goals.

“Australia is proud of our growing partnership with Vietnam and remains committed to supporting its transition to a low-emissions, climate-resilient economy through innovation and collaboration,” Ambassador Gillian Bird said.

Australia has also provided airlift support for the six rotations of the Level Field 2 Hospital in South Sudan since 2018, and is preparing to do so again for the seventh rotation later this year.

“Australia’s Peacekeeping Partnership Arrangement with Vietnam was the first to be signed after our CSP in March 2024,” Bird shared.

In addition to this highly visible airlift support, Australia has been actively involved in providing training to both the field hospital and Vietnam’s engineering company in areas such as English language training, rules of engagement training, mental health preparation, and specialist training opportunities.

In June, an Australian team in Ho Chi Minh City provided training in aeromedical evacuation using Vietnam’s Air Force helicopters for the practical phase.

Australia has also been collaborating with the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations in the area of Women, Peace and Security, holding the last joint seminar in November last year.

“I’m so pleased to see Vietnam’s ongoing contribution to maintaining global peace and security and protecting civilians in conflict-ridden areas through peacekeeping. When I was Australia’s Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, I worked closely with my Vietnamese counterpart Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga on the very first Vietnamese deployment to South Sudan.”

Ambassador Bird emphasized that defence cooperation between the two countries has grown stronger over the last 25 years of direct cooperation. When Ship 18 of the Vietnam People’s Navy took part in Australia’s multinational Exercise Kakadu last year, it was the first time a Vietnam People’s Navy ship had visited Australia. The ship’s crew was outstanding ambassadors for Vietnam.

She stressed that this cooperation, extending beyond just peacekeeping, ensures mutual understanding capabilities and how they can help each other in maintaining regional stability.

“Australia and Vietnam share a vision of a peaceful region where countries can make sovereign choices, no one country dominates, and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is upheld,” Ambassador Gillian Bird stated.