The National Assembly (NA) and Government of Vietnam always support and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese and Australian friendship organisations to increase activities, including educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation in humanitarian aid.

The meeting between NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and President of the Australia-Vietnam Friendship Society Kim Sampson

The remark was made by NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan during her meeting with President of the Australia-Vietnam Friendship Society (AVFS) Kim Sampson in Canberra on November 29.

The top legislator, who is on an official visit to Australia, noted with satisfaction the increase of mutual high-ranking visits and meetings, adding that cooperation via all channels, including between their Parties, parliaments, governments and people, has been expanded.

At the recent APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Vietnam’s Da Nang city, Prime Ministers Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Malcolm Turnbull agreed to soon lift the Vietnam-Australia relationship to a strategic partnership, she said, expressing her belief that bilateral ties will be reinforced for the sake of the two countries’ people.

She appreciated the AVFS’s practical activities, describing it as a bridge helping to enhance the countries’ sound relations, especially their people’s friendship and mutual understanding.

Vietnam and Australia will mark 45 years of their diplomatic ties in 2018. Therefore, the countries’ friendship associations should coordinate to organise meaningful celebrations, thus contributing to a practical Vietnam-Australia Friendship Year 2018.

As Vietnamese people in Australia is a big community, Chairwoman Ngan asked the President and members of the AVFS assist Vietnamese people in integrating into the local society and contribute to the two countries’ relations.

For his part, AVFS President Sampson said the number of AVFS members has been on the rise since the association was set up four decades ago.

He said AVFS members are looking forward to the 45th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties. The association will join the Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Earlier on November 29, the Vietnamese leader had attended a hearing of the Australian Senate.

NA leader meets with Vietnamese people in Australia

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (R) meet staff at the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of Vietnamese people in Australia on November 29

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan met with staff at the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of Vietnamese people in Australia on November 29, part of her official visit to the country.

Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam reported that more than 300,000 Vietnamese people in Australia form the third biggest Vietnamese community in the world and the fifth largest ethnic community in Australia. They are assessed as a successful community with close integration into the local society. About 30,000 Vietnamese students in Australia is also a major community of foreign students here.

The Vietnamese community in Australia has been a bridge helping to enhance the two countries’ friendship and cooperation, he noted.

Representing the expatriates, President of the Vietnamese Business Association in Australia Tran Ba Phuc, environmental expert Nguyen Dang Thang and Do Anh Tuan from the Vietnamese Student Association in Australia said overseas Vietnamese always want to make practical contributions to the homeland. 

In recently years, they have worked with the Embassy, the Consulate General and other representative agencies of Vietnam in Australia to organise many workshops introducing Vietnam’s investment environment, taken part in the “Vietnamese people prioritise using Vietnamese goods” campaign, and connected Australian businesses with Vietnamese firms.

For her part, Chairwoman Ngan said the growth of Vietnam-Australia relations in all fields is partly attributable to efforts by the Vietnamese Embassy, agencies, businesses and people in Australia.

Appreciating contributions by the Vietnamese community, she promised to send their opinions to domestic relevant agencies for consideration and settlement.

She affirmed the Party and State’s policy of creating favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese people to stabilise their lives and integrate into local society while preserving their traditional cultural identity and contributing to the homeland.

The NA leader also stressed the role of the mother tongue in maintaining traditional culture, asking the expatriates to further teach Vietnamese to their descendants.

NA Chairwoman meets Australian students

NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan meets Australian students

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hosted a reception in Canberra on November 29 for Australian students joining the New Colombo Plan (NCP) programme in Vietnam. 

The top legislator welcomed the Australian government’s initiative to offer 100 million USD scholarships to Australian students in Indian-Pacific countries, including Vietnam. 

She wished that the Australian government would continue helping develop education system and human resources, thus facilitating exchange between the two peoples. 

Ngan expressed her hope that overseas students joining the NCP programme will contribute to the effective and practical development of Vietnam-Australia ties. 

The number of Australian students joining NCP programme in Vietnam is increasingly rising, from 161 in 2015 to 340 in 2017 which is forecast to reach 748 next year. 

In 2017, Vietnam welcomed the seventh largest number of students among 38 countries and territories in the Indo-Pacific region joining the NCP. 

Apart from the NCP programme, the two countries also have also worked closely together on the Australia – Vietnam human resources development project for 2016-2020, the Australia – ASEAN Bridge School Partnership Programme for 2016-2018 for the exchange of elementary and secondary school lecturers, and 20  other partnership programmes between the two countries’ universities.-

VNA