Commemorative Activities Marking 50 Years of Vietnam-Australia Diplomatic Relations

Mr. Tran Viet Truong, Chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee, and Ms. Sarah Hooper, the Australian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, planted the freshwater mangrove.

          On the afternoon of November 21^st 2023,  in Can Tho City, Chairman of the City People's Committee, Tran Viet Truong, and the Consul General of Australia in Ho Chi Minh City, Sarah Hooper, planted a freshwater mangrove in the Hau River Park to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia.

          During the tree-planting ceremony, Mr. Tran Viet Truong emphasized that Can Tho chose to organize this commemorative activity to convey the message of strengthening collaboration in building and protecting the environment, adapting to climate change for both sides. Mr.Tran Viet Truong and Ms. Sarah Hooper believed that with the development of the freshwater mangrove, the cooperation and friendship between Can Tho City and Australia would continue to grow sustainably.

          On the same day, the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City organized an event to announce a business support package for the Mekong Delta.

Leaders of Can Tho City, along with the delegation from the Australian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and other representatives, took a photo at the ceremony announcing the business support package for the Mekong Delta.

          Speaking at the ceremony, Ms. Sarah Hooper affirmed that Australia is committed to being a sustainable development partner for the Mekong Delta. Since 2016, the Australian government has invested over 9.4 million AUD in the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) program in Vietnam, including 4.3 million AUD in the Mekong Delta. The partnerships under the BPP program in the Mekong Delta aim to support the efforts of Vietnam and Australia in testing new models and technologies to adapt to climate change, expanding successful initiatives, and providing significant social benefits, gender equality, and development to the communities in the Mekong Delta. On this occasion, the Australian government announced four new business partners in the Mekong Delta to enhance climate change adaptation, with a total investment of 2.5 million AUD.

          Mr. Tran Viet Truong expressed his joy at the continuous development of the relationship between Can Tho City, the Mekong Delta provinces, and Australian partners. Since 2000, Australia has contributed over 650 million AUD in development assistance to the Mekong Delta in various areas such as infrastructure development, public service development, human resources, and innovation. Australia has played a significant role in connecting the Mekong Delta by supporting the construction of the My Thuan and Cao Lanh bridges. Mr. Truong hoped that in the future, Can Tho City and the Mekong Delta provinces would coordinate with the Australian Consulate General to effectively organize and implement the BPP program, further promoting the cooperative and friendly relationship between the two countries. "This activity helps women-led startups in the Mekong Delta have better conditions for production development and effectively adapt to climate change. The development of this activity is also the development of the cooperative and friendly relationship between the Mekong Delta provinces in particular, Vietnam in general, and Australia," said the Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee.