General Secretary, President To Lam’s visit to Australia expected to give fresh impetus to Vietnam-Australia education and training cooperation
WVR - In August 2026, Vietnamese General Secretary of the Communist Party and President To Lam's state visit to Australia marked a historic signals for the elevation the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between two countries.
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| General Secretary and President To Lam delivers a speech at Vietnam – Australia TechConnect Forum, University of Technology, Sydney, on August 10, 2026. |
The political ties build the strong foundation for further shaping the knowledge-based workforces to serve the development cause of both countries. One of the pillars of this partnership is the dynamic cooperation in higher education, training and academic exchanges.
Studying abroad redefinition
Studying abroad no longer means travelling across the ocean since the universities have travelled to them. Vietnamese students can earn three levels of Australian qualification, undergraduate, master and PhD, entirely in Vietnam.
In Vietnam, the presence of Australian universities is well-established and highly respected. RMIT opened their campuses in Vietnamese big cities about 20 years ago, while other Australian educational institutions, including Swinburne University of Technology, Macquarie University, La Trobe University, have affiliated with local partners to franchise the undergraduate programs. The University of Sydney opens a research institution in Vietnam.
Swinburne University of Technology is an example of this educational cooperation. Through a joint project with FPT Education, Swinburne Vietnam, the university presents across four campuses in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Can Tho, making Australian higher education accessible and integrated in Vietnam’s development strategies.
Partnership in education offers more options in study tours, field trips and internship for students from Australia through their local partners. Hoc Mai medical foundation often arranges internship in Vietnamese hospitals for students from Australia. Students from Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn campus can take an international direct flight Melbourne – Ho Chi Minh City and find themselves landed in another campus of Swinburne Ho Chi Minh located inside Tan Son Nhat airport.
Political trust in training for governmental sector
Vietnam-Australia Centre (VAC) is a tangible political trust between Vietnam and Australia. Located in the head quarter of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politicss (HCMA) in Hanoi, VAC facilitates professional training for senior governmental managers and policy makers for Vietnam and organises high-level field trips to Australia. VAC also provides policy analysis and recommendation, and knowledge exchange between two countries.
During 2022-2026, Australian Government allocates 28 milion AUD (about 19.75 million USD) to VAC via the Aus4Skills Program.
HCMA is the top-class institution of the Communist Party of Vietnam, providing training for mid-level and senior-level governmental staff, and serve as a think tank to establish the ideological direction for the nation. VAC at HCMA becomes a symbolic icon for leadership capacity building, preparing fot the next generation of leaders of strategic comprehensive partnership between two countries.
Australia nurtures Vietnamese talents
Over 160.000 Vietnamese alumni who have studied at Australian universities are serving as human bridges to connect two countries. In which, over 7500 recipients of Australian Government scholarship over the past five decades since the two countries establish diplomatic relations in 1973. Upon their graduation and return, alumni have been serving at key positions in all sectors of Vietnamese economy, continually contribute to the strong bonds of Vietnam and Australia.
Another example of talent nuturing is the educational TV gameshow “Road to Mount Olympia” (Duong len dinh Olympyia), in which Swinburne University of Technology sponsor scholarships for the final round contestants. For millions of Vietnamese audience, Australia is the destination for the young talents that can help to turn academic ability to life success.
Preparing human resources for the new development era
Since the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Party announced a new era of development, featuring by digital transformation, innovation in science and technology. This can be understood as the second phase of Doi Moi (Renewal), or the radical reform that started in 1986 in Vietnam. The demand for the well-educated personnel, particularly in science and technology, the has never ever been higher.
Vietnam possess rich resources, including the world’s second biggest rare-earth reserves, long and strategic coastline, young and eager to learn new thing population. If Vietnam successfully prepare its human capital for the new era, this would be good for Vietnam’s prosperity.
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| Associate Professor Mark Finn (white shirt in the middle) with media students of Swinburne Vietnam in November, 2025. |
In this context, the state visit of Vietnamese General Secretary and President To Lam to Australia is expected to mark a robust rise in Vietnam-Australia education and training cooperation. Australia has world-class research infrastructure and educational services, that can convert Vietnamese students into capable workforce. Having a stable politics and a young generation ready to invest in higher education, Vietnam is a promising market for the Australian education sector. Education and training cooperation between Vietnam and Australia is having an excellent goodwill for growth, contributing significantly to the prosperity of both nations and promoting long-term stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
