Addressing a seminar held by the university on September 21, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh affirmed that the Southeast Asian nation always welcomes Australian universities to join in and expand partnerships with its universities and research facilities.

He highlighted the two countries’ flourishing relations, noting that last year, Vietnam and Australia approved a strategy for enhancing economic cooperation which has opened up many new opportunities in key areas, including agriculture, energy, services, digital economy, and education.

The diplomat welcomed the University of Sydney’s establishment of the Sydney Vietnam Institute to connect with Vietnamese partners to resolve common issues facing both sides.

Prof. Robyn Ward, Executive Dean of the Medicine and Health Faculty at the University of Sydney, said his school boasts over-30-year academic ties in such fields as health care, economy, agriculture, social sciences, and humanity with many universities and research institutes of Vietnam.

The foundation of the Sydney Vietnam Institute is a stride helping intensify existing relations and create new chances for the university’s cooperation with Vietnamese partners, he noted.

The institute's director Prof. Greg Fox said the institute will connect researchers and educators in Australia and Vietnam to seek solutions to common issues to improve the life of people in Vietnam and other countries through sharing new knowledge in seven fields, namely economy and reform, food and the environment, infectious diseases, chronic diseases, maternal and child health, arts - social sciences, and education.

Source: VNA