Vietnamese Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh held a working session in Hanoi on August 1st with Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird in presence of leaders of units under the Ministry of Construction; officials and experts from the Australian Embassy to Vietnam.
Bird congratulated Minister Tran Hong Minh on being trusted by the Party and State and assigned to take on the important responsibility of Minister of Construction (after merging the Ministry of Construction with the Ministry of Transport) and expressed her hope at the steady growth in Vietnam-Australia relations.
According to the Ambassador, the Australian Government will provide an Official Development Assistance (ODA) package worth approximately AUD 90 million to Vietnam under the Australia-Vietnam Partnership for Economic Growth (Aus4Growth), with transport infrastructure as a priority area.
Australian Government considers Vietnam one of the important partners in the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy, and hopes to further develop bilateral cooperation with Vietnam in various fields, especially transport infrastructure; strengthen the implementation of Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Cooperation Strategy to 2040, with Vietnam is one of the key partners.
.jpg)
Minister Tran Hong Minh presented flowers to congratulate new Ambassador Gillian Bird on the occasion of her visit and work with the Ministry of Construction.
Australia is as a reliable and long-term partner. Vietnam and Australia have great potential for cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and digital transformation in the fields of transportation and logistics infrastructure. Therefore, Bird expressed her belief at the cooperation relationship between two nations in the time ahead.
Minh, for his part, highlighted the steady growth in Vietnam-Australia relations since their diplomatic ties were established in 1973, culminating in the upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2024, a milestone that opened up vast opportunities for development cooperation.
He hailed Australia as the biggest provider of non-refundable aid for Vietnam's transport sector. Two flagship projects, My Thuan bridge, completed in 2000 and Cao Lanh bridge, finished in 2018, have improved connectivity and spurred socio-economic development in the Mekong Delta.
Overview of working session.
Between 2017 and June 2024, Australia also provided a technical assistance programme benefiting Vietnam’s transport sector, helping accelerate infrastructure upgrades, he said.
Thanking the Australian Government and people, as well as generations of officials from the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam for their assistance and accompany to the Ministry of Construction in particular and the country and people of Vietnam in general, Minister Tran Hong Minh was pleased that both countries have completed internal procedures and stayed ready stepping up the signing of the Protocol amending the Bilateral Air Transport Agreement to further facilitate the operations of airlines on both sides. He also suggested that both sides cooperate to increase direct flights to new destinations in Vietnam, such as Long Thanh Airport.
Minister Tran Hong Minh and new Ambassador Gillian Bird took a photo at the working session.
In the railway sector, Minister Tran Hong Minh briefed the Ambassador on the status of the North–South high-speed railway.
Concluding the meeting, Minister Tran Hong Minh highlighted the occasion as an opportunity for both sides to recognize the achievements of past cooperation and explore future collaborative potential. He also expressed confidence that, as a bridge between Australia and Vietnam, the Australian Embassy and the Ambassador would continue to support and accompany the Ministry of Construction in carrying out comprehensive strategic cooperation programs for the sustainable development and prosperity of both countries.