Vietnam and Northern Territory of Australia determined to boost comprehensive cooperation
WVR - On September 8, during a visit to Darwin, Vietnamese Consul General in Perth, Pham Hai Anh, had a productive day with seven significant diplomatic activities, meeting most of the key leaders of the Northern Territory's government and political circles.
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Consul General Pham Hai Anh paid a courtesy call to Governor David Connolly, worked with Minister for Trade, Business and Asian Relations Robyn Cahill, Territory Coordinator Stuart Knowles, Mayor of Darwin Peter Styles, Director of the Northern Australia Office of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Suzy Wilson, Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Labor Party) Ed Smelt, and participated in a roundtable discussion with officials responsible for trade, agriculture, education, and connections with Vietnam.
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| Consul General Pham Hai Anh takes a photo with Mr. David Connolly, Governor of the Northern Territory, and his wife at the Prince of Wales Room of the Government House. |
Open and Substantive Atmosphere
The meetings took place in a friendly and candid atmosphere. Both sides acknowledged that Vietnam-Australia relations are making positive strides, especially following the state visit by General Secretary and State President To Lam in early August.
Building on this foundation, both parties agreed on the need for closer coordination to develop cooperation between Vietnam and the Northern Territory to match their existing potential, not only in traditional fields such as agriculture and education but also expanding into new areas like rare earths, liquefied gas, and enhancing local, business, and people-to-people connections.
The Northern Territory highly values the contributions of the Vietnamese community in the area and is committed to promoting Vietnam's proposals to further facilitate visas for Vietnamese students and workers.
From Government House to Business Roundtable
During the reception at Government House, Mr. David Connolly expressed a special affection for the country, people, and remarkable development of Vietnam, and appreciated the role of the Vietnamese community in the multicultural landscape of the Northern Territory.
Interested in the ongoing administrative reforms in Vietnam, he expressed a desire to further promote existing cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City, Khanh Hoa Province, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau (formerly), while committing to facilitating Vietnamese businesses investing in the Northern Territory, notably mentioning the prominent activities of TH Group.
Territory Coordinator Stuart Knowles—a position established in May 2024 with special authority to coordinate, reprioritize, and expedite development projects in the Northern Territory, even directly intervening in project implementation by ministries when necessary—affirmed prioritizing and accelerating approvals for cooperative projects with Vietnam.
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| Consul General Pham Hai Anh takes a photo with Ms. Robyn Cahill, Minister for Trade, Business and Asian Relations at the Northern Territory Parliament House. |
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| Consul General Pham Hai Anh takes a photo with Mr. Stuart Knowles, Territory Coordinator of the Northern Territory at the Northern Territory Government Headquarters. |
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| Consul General Pham Hai Anh takes a photo with Mr. Peter Styles, Mayor of Darwin City at the City Council Headquarters. |
Minister Robyn Cahill shared her deep impressions from her visit to Ho Chi Minh City in mid-August, expressing gratitude for the warm reception from the government, businesses, and universities. She highly appreciated the potential for cooperation in education and training, affirming that the Northern Territory is ready to facilitate Vietnamese students in studying, finding jobs, and internships.
Darwin and Cultural Bridges
Mayor of Darwin Peter Styles mentioned the role of the Vietnamese community through the annual Lantern Festival, welcoming Vietnamese delegations to explore cooperation opportunities. He noted that the sister-city relationship with Ho Chi Minh City has been approved by the Darwin City Council and expressed a desire to visit Vietnam soon.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Ed Smelt stated that Ms. Selena Uibo, Leader of the Opposition, was unable to attend due to work commitments but had a brief meeting with the Consul General at the Lantern Festival on September 5. He affirmed that both major political parties in Australia value relations with Vietnam and are willing to speak up to resolve immigration and visa issues for Vietnamese students and workers.
Director of the Northern Australia Office of DFAT, Ms. Suzy Wilson, expressed complete agreement with the assessment of the bilateral relationship's development momentum, committing to support the Northern Territory government in effectively implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework, including developing relations with various levels of the Vietnamese government.
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| Consul General Pham Hai Anh takes a photo with Mr. Ed Smelt, Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Labor Party). |
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| Consul General Pham Hai Anh takes a photo with Ms. Suzy Wilson OTL, Director of the Northern Australia Office of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). |
Expectations for a direct flight
At the roundtable discussion, Northern Territory delegates reviewed exemplary cooperation with Vietnam in agriculture, education, investment, and port operations, while expressing a desire to promote the import of Vietnamese agricultural machinery to balance the trade deficit.
A common aspiration frequently mentioned was the establishment of a direct flight connecting Vietnam with Darwin—dubbed as Australia's “gateway to Asia”—in the context of growing trade, investment, education, and tourism between the two sides.
Concluding the working visit, Consul General Pham Hai Anh affirmed the determination to promote multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and the Northern Territory to match the political relations and potential both sides possess.
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| Consul General Pham Hai Anh takes a photo with Mr. David Orr, Senior Director of the Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations of the Northern Territory. |
He proposed that both sides implement more practical activities to connect and rapidly promote trade, investment, education, and training, expanding into energy and essential minerals; while finding effective solutions to increase Vietnamese labor in the Northern Territory to meet the territory's rapid development needs. He also suggested increasing exchanges of delegations at all levels to strengthen understanding, trust, and open up further cooperation opportunities.
During the visit, Consul General Pham Hai Anh also met with some representatives of the Vietnamese community in Darwin and surrounding areas during the busy harvest season of many farms, listening to their concerns and discussing solutions to overcome difficulties; he also met with representatives of Vietnamese students in the area, encouraging them to study diligently, develop themselves, and support each other.
