Australian Embassy
Vietnam
Embassy address: 8 Dao Tan Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi - Telephone: 3831 7755 - Fax: 3831 7711

Remarks on Australia Day 2010

HE Mr Allaster Cox, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The relationship between Vietnam and Australia has continued to grow and intensify over the last year. In particular the visit by the General Secretary of the Communist Party, His Excellency Mr Nong Duc Manh to Australia last September and the signing of the Comprehensive Partnership has set a new and ambitious agenda for work across the bilateral and regional agenda.

This will include work to boost the trade and economic relationship under the new ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement; a new focus on energy trade; new aid commitments in infrastructure, additional scholarships and new funding for climate change and agricultural research, negotiations on a science and technology agreement and new work on immigration and border control and transnational crime cooperation.

It is an exciting and ambitious work program for us.

And more than this, 2010 is a very significant year. In Vietnam, not only is it the eightieth anniversary of the foundation of the Party; the 120th anniversary of the birth of President Ho Chi Minh and the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi, but also Vietnam for the second time is Chairman of ASEAN and of the East Asia Summit.

ASEAN continues to be the fulcrum of regional order, stability and economic development in East Asia. So Australia will work closely with Vietnam as Chairman to achieve important goals, including closer economic and financial integration, enhancing disaster relief capability and furthering dialogue on how the future regional architecture can evolve to address the dynamic shifts in global weight and power.

2010 is also a crucial year for Vietnam as it charts the course for socio-economic development over the next five years and beyond. Australia has a strong interest in the growth and success of Vietnam in the coming decades. Vietnam can choose success through a strong new commitment to structural reform, innovation and productivity; and to achieve global integration. Australia stands ready to assist Vietnam to chart such a course.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The growing intensity of our relations brings challenges as well as opportunities.
The growing number of Vietnamese students studying in Australia, over 24 000 last year and the 15 000 studying Australian courses in Vietnam create opportunities; a young and energetic generation who know Australia and are keen to foster and grow economic, cultural and people to people ties.

But as the intensity increases and expectations grow, across our different systems, societies and cultures there are inevitably issues that arise as different priorities and perspectives in each country contend with each other. These are the challenges we need to manage with wisdom, openness and dialogue.

Despite the role of modern communications in today’s world, managing those challenges; bridging those contending perspectives on the ground, remains an essential task.

I would like to thank all our friends in Vietnam, including many here today, who are helping this Embassy to meet those challenges.

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