Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son expressed his delight that two-way trade hit all-time high to over 18 billion AUD in 2021 and 14 billion USD in seven months of this year, making Australia the seventh biggest trade partner of Vietnam and Vietnam the 10th biggest trade partner of the Pacific nation.
On the occasion, Son thanked the Australian Government and people for providing Vietnam with 22.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to cope with the pandemic.
He believed that ties between Vietnam and Australia will become closer when they fully optimise the potential of investment, labour, climate change response, digital economy and others for the benefit of the two peoples and for an Indo-Pacific of peace, prosperity and resilience.
Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts, for his part, expressed his wish to further tighten bilateral ties in the future.
He pledged to assist Vietnam in delivering on the commitments of reducing greenhouse carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
Visiting the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia the same day, Son asked the embassy to continue further boosting Vietnam-Australia ties, including the exchange of delegations at all levels toward the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year
