According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the reception, Ambassador Gillian Bird expressed his pleasure at being met by the National Assembly Chairman and honored to take up the task in the context of the relationship between the two countries in a very good development period; affirmed that the Australian Government considers Vietnam one of the important partners in the Southeast Asian Economic Strategy to 2040.
Ambassador Gillian Bird thanked National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man for his attention to promoting cooperation between the two countries' National Assemblies, including welcoming Australian Senate President Sue Lines to visit Vietnam in 2024; affirmed that the Australian Parliament always attaches importance to the cooperative relationship with the Vietnamese Parliament; and reiterated the invitation of the Senate Chairman to National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man for an official visit to Australia.
Ambassador Gillian Bird expressed his honor at being invited to attend the opening session of the recent National Assembly session and was impressed, admiring the agenda and current efforts of the Vietnamese National Assembly in reforming institutions, streamlining the apparatus, and creating a more favorable legal environment.
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man expressed his delight that the Vietnam - Australia relationship is at a very good time. National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man highly appreciated Australia's implementation of the Southeast Asian Economic Strategy to 2040; suggested that the two countries promote effective implementation of economic cooperation, continue to open the market, aiming to increase bilateral trade turnover to 20 billion USD and double two-way investment.
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man excitedly assessed the positive developments in the cooperative relationship between the two countries' National Assemblies, through cooperation programs and delegation exchanges, especially the fact that Australian Senate Chairman Sue Lines paid an official visit to Vietnam in 2024, as well as the cooperation of the Friendship Parliamentarians, female Parliamentarians, and young Parliamentarians of both sides. The National Assembly Chairman suggested that in the coming time, the National Assemblies of the two countries continue to exchange delegations, share experiences in law-making as well as supervise the implementation of high-level agreements between the two countries.
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man thanked the Australian Government for continuing to support Vietnam through official development projects (ODAs) that have reached about 3 billion AUDs over the past 50 years, considering them a source of active support for Vietnam's economic and social development; works such as Cao Lanh Bridge and My Thuan Bridge have become symbols of cooperation between the two countries.
The National Assembly Chairman highly appreciated Australia's support projects that are being actively implemented in the field of climate change response in the Mekong Delta and called on Australia to continue to pay attention to supporting Vietnam in building essential infrastructure.
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man appreciated the Australian Government's attention and support for the community of about 350,000 people of Vietnamese origin living and studying in the host country; affirmed that Australia is the leading choice of study abroad destinations for many Vietnamese families; and suggested that the Ambassador be a bridge, a positive voice for Australia to continue to facilitate the Vietnamese community to live, connect and develop.
