Speaking at the forum, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam stated that the event reflects the attention of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as well as the government in general, to the community of Vietnamese entrepreneurs and overseas Vietnamese in Australia — one of the largest Vietnamese entrepreneur communities abroad.
“I believe this is a highly favourable occasion for us to share assessments on current Viet Nam–Australia relations, thereby identifying and seeking opportunities for economic, trade, and investment cooperation with Vietnamese partners, as well as exploring areas of interest to the business community in Australia, where they can participate and contribute opinions to help our country become increasingly prosperous and confidently stride into a new era,” said Ambassador Pham Hung Tam.
In terms of political cooperation, both sides maintain high mutual trust and regularly exchange high-level delegations. The two sides have agreed to raise two-way trade to 20 billion USD at the earliest time. An increasing number of Vietnamese localities and enterprises are interested in investment and business opportunities in Australia.
Also at the forum, Nguyen Van Hoi, Head of the Institute of Strategy and Policy for Industry and Trade, provided information on Viet Nam’s business environment.
Regarding institutional and administrative organisation, Viet Nam is accelerating reforms, restructuring administrative units, and decentralising powers to local authorities, thereby narrowing the distance between state management bodies, the people, and businesses.
In terms of the legal environment for investment and business, many important resolutions of the Party Central Committee and the Politburo have recently been issued to remove obstacles and barriers, harmonise production–business activities with state management, and create favourable conditions for domestic enterprises and foreign investors. These include resolutions on e-commerce; the National Energy Development Strategy; accelerating industrialisation and modernisation; and developing science, technology, and innovation.
Within the framework of the forum, Tran Ba Phuc, Chairman of the Viet Nam Business Association in Australia, emphasised that this is a highly meaningful event and one long awaited by the Vietnamese business community in Australia. According to him, the Vietnamese community in Australia is growing stronger, gaining higher position, and becoming an important intellectual and entrepreneurial force, contributing both to the host country and to Viet Nam. This is a powerful driver of trade and investment between the two sides, especially since Viet Nam and Australia upgraded ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
In his concluding remarks, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien, on behalf of the government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, expressed gratitude for the profound affection for the homeland, as well as the creativity, sincerity, and responsibility shown by the delegates. The shared opinions not only reflected the realities of business in the Australian market and the aspirations and proposals to enhance the role and position of Vietnamese businesses in Australia but also contributed recommendations on mechanisms and policies to strengthen connections with domestic enterprises and support Viet Nam’s economic development.
The minister affirmed that the Vietnamese business community is united, patriotic, strong in capital, technology, and knowledge, and has made practical contributions to national development. Meanwhile, the overseas Vietnamese community in Australia, with more than 370,000 people and thousands of Vietnamese entrepreneurs, is an important bridge and a significant strategic resource for national development and cooperation between the two countries. They are not only successful entrepreneurs but also Vietnamese people with a strong aspiration to contribute to both the host country and their homeland.
He expressed his belief that with solidarity, creativity, and responsibility, the ideas and discussions at the forum will turn into practical outcomes, contributing to Viet Nam’s socio-economic development goals towards 2030, with a vision to 2045.
To ensure effective and substantive implementation of the forum’s outcomes, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien proposed several specific points.
First, work related to overseas Vietnamese, especially overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs, has always been valued by the Party and State of Viet Nam. The Politburo’s Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW (dated March 26, 2004) affirms: “Overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part and a resource of the Vietnamese national community, and an important factor in strengthening cooperative and friendly relations between Viet Nam and other countries.”
Second, regarding the overseas Vietnamese community, especially Vietnamese entrepreneurs in Australia, the minister expressed a wish to regularly receive their advisory contributions to the government in socio-economic development, particularly in policy development for the digital economy, green transition, entrepreneurship promotion, and innovation.
He encouraged the active promotion of technology transfer to Viet Nam, especially in foundational industrial sectors such as new materials technology, precision engineering, chemicals, semiconductor-source technologies, AI, and digital technologies.
In addition, connection and experience-sharing activities with Vietnamese enterprises should be strengthened through online platforms and regular events. Proactive promotion of Viet Nam’s dynamic and innovative image on Australian business forums would help enhance the national brand.
He also emphasised the need to build a network of young overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs, encouraging second and third generations to participate to ensure the inheritance and sustainable development of the community.
