Important trade partner in many fields

Vietnam is a valued trade partner and a key export market for Western Australia’s iron ore, cattle, wheat and barley. With AUD 2.6 billion of goods traded in 2021-2022, Vietnam is Western Australia’s 13th largest trading partner.

There are more than 18,000 Vietnamese-born people living in Western Australia, and Vietnamese is the third most commonly reported language other than English spoken in homes in this state.

 Representatives of the Australian Government, Western Australia and Vietnamese Government representatives cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Western Australian Government Investment and Trade Office in Vietnam (from left to right: Mr. Pham Doc Diem - Deputy Director of the Department Foreign Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Krista Dunstan - Western Australia Trade and Investment Counselor, Ms. Sarah Hooper - Australian Consul General in Vietnam, Mr. Roger Cook - Deputy Premier of Western Australia and Ms. Simone Spencer - Deputy General Director Strategy and International Connections)

The Government of Western Australia attaches special importance to Vietnam’s role in its Asian Engagement Strategy 2019-2030. It will continue to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese partners and support bilateral investment to explore new emerging opportunities aligned with the shared future and support bilateral investment to foster mutually beneficial trading relationships through the newly-established Investment and Trade Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City.

Open up new opportunities

Regarding energies, Western Australia is open for investment in renewable energy generation to support the use of cleaner energy resources. It has committed to investing AUD 3.8 billion up to 2030 for new renewable power infrastructure to support the transition away from coal-fired power plants.

 Mr. Roger Cook - Deputy Premier of Western Australia and Ms. Simone Spencer - Deputy General Director of Strategy and International Connection announced the establishment of the Western Australia Government Investment and Trade Office in Vietnam

This investment will also include power generation and power storage to ensure Western Australia has affordable and reliable power into the future. Collaboration with neighboring countries is essential, and Western Australia is keen to engage with Vietnam with a shared vision to accelerate climate action.

On the occasion of the first official visit by the Deputy Premier of Western Australia to Vietnam, the Western Australian Premier’s University Scholarship and Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) Bursary were also launched.

In 2022, there were 1,290 Vietnamese students enrolled in Western Australian institutions and it is expected that this number will increase because the Australian government in general and the Western Australian Government in particular are applying many policies and mechanisms to support international students, especially for Vietnamese students.

 Mr. Roger Cook - Deputy Premier of Western Australia speaks at the announcement event of the Western Australian Premier’s University Scholarship and the Western Australian Baccalaureate Program (WACE) Grant

The visit also involved the tourism delegation led by Perth Airport and supported by the Invest and Trade Western Australia, made up of key Western Australia tourism operators, which opened the door for collaboration and initiatives to promote tourism between Vietnam and Western Australia in the near future.

The Deputy Premier of Western Australia expressed his desire and willingness to cooperate with Vietnamese aviation partners, creating conditions to quickly launch direct flights between Vietnam and Perth - the capital of Western Australia.

The official representative of Western Australia in Vietnam 

The Invest and Trade Western Australia office in Ho Chi Minh City is led by Investment and Trade Commissioner for ASEAN, Krista Dunstan and her team.

The new office will be a key part of Western Australia’s expanded international investment and trade network, supported by the Western Australian Government’s AUD195 million Reconnect WA package. This is the “front door” to Western Australia for potential oversea investors.

The Honorable Roger Cook MLA said: “Australia and Vietnam will celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relationship in 2023. This presents a unique opportunity to reflect on our achievements and friendship over the past five decades. From this strong foundation, I am excited for the opportunities our shared future holds for Vietnam and Western Australia, and I’m confident in the challenges we can face side-by-side. We are determined to continue to strengthen our ties with Vietnam - and through our new Ho Chi Minh City office - we will act on our commitment to deepen this important and valued friendship.”

PV