Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird, in an interview with Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 2026 New Year's Day, stated that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Australia is developing strongly. The relationship is built on mutual trust and a shared commitment to regional stability and prosperity.
Ambassador Bird noted that 2025 will indeed be a year of further deepening and substantial progress in Vietnam-Australia relations. The comprehensive strategic partnership, based on mutual trust, has been continuously consolidated and strengthened, reflecting the shared commitment to regional stability and prosperity.
High-level exchanges play a central role in the overall development of bilateral relations. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during the 47th ASEAN Summit and the APEC Leaders' Meeting, reaffirming shared priorities.
Looking back on the past year, most commitments have been fulfilled or are progressing as planned. This momentum reflects not only the close relationship between the two governments but also the deepening ties between the two peoples.
The Australian Ambassador noted that elevating Australia-Vietnam relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership marks significant progress based on strategic mutual trust between the two countries. Both sides agreed to expand cooperation across six pillars: politics; defense, security and justice; economic cooperation; knowledge and people-to-people exchanges; climate, environment and energy; science, technology, innovation and digital transformation; and regional and international cooperation.
In the coming period, Australia will continue to support Vietnam's breakthrough development goals in the economic, scientific and technological fields. Through the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, Australia is promoting expanded trade and investment, strengthening supply chains, and cooperating in emerging sectors crucial to Vietnam's future growth, such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and digital services.
Education and human resource development remain important pillars of bilateral cooperation, helping to cultivate a new generation of young people with skills and leadership abilities, driving Vietnam's socio-economic development and innovation. Australian universities and research institutions are continuously strengthening cooperation with their Vietnamese partners to accelerate knowledge exchange and enhance technological capabilities.
Regarding clean energy development, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Byrd stated that Australia views Vietnam as a key partner in building the region's clean energy future. Vietnam's leading role in the ASEAN Grid Initiative, along with its electricity export agreements with Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia, and its imports of renewable energy from Laos, have solidified its position as a hub for regional energy cooperation and transition.
Regarding strengthening bilateral cooperation in addressing the consequences of climate change and natural disasters, the Australian Ambassador stated that the country recently provided Vietnam with AUD 3.8 million in emergency aid to help disaster-stricken populations overcome the consequences, prioritizing vulnerable groups such as the poor, children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
To enhance climate resilience and adaptation, Australia is working closely with Vietnam to address climate change and manage increasingly frequent natural disasters. Australia will support Vietnam in implementing its National Climate Change Adaptation Plan across multiple sectors and promote technologies that enhance agricultural sustainability and resilience.
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) supports farmers in coping with drought and seawater intrusion; meanwhile, Australia's Transformation of the Mekong Delta Rice Value Chain (TRVC) project for climate change adaptation and sustainable development is driving high-quality, low-emission rice production.
Both Vietnam and Australia face significant climate challenges. Through these efforts, the two countries are building a future-oriented partnership, enhancing Vietnam's climate resilience, and directly addressing the increasingly urgent climate crisis. (End)
