Oceania

Why Australia and Vietnam Should Create a Visa Exemption Program

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Oceania | Diplomacy | Oceania

Why Australia and Vietnam Should Create a Visa Exemption Program

The move would help advance several core areas of cooperation in the burgeoning bilateral relationship.

Why Australia and Vietnam Should Create a Visa Exemption Program

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong shakes hands with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi, August 23, 2023.

Credit: Twitter/Senator Penny Wong

On August 17, at their regular press conference, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson announced that Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will make a three-day official visit to Vietnam, commencing on August 21. The purpose of the visit will be to co-host the fifth Australia-Vietnam Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AVFMM) with her Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son. Since the two countries established their strategic partnership in 2018, AVFMMs have been rotationally held in each country on an annual basis. The fourth meeting was organized in Canberra last year.

In a media statement released on the eve of her trip, Senator Wong said she will be also meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and other senior leaders and taking part in several activities aimed at cementing the strategic partnership between Canberra and Hanoi. Wong will be visiting Ho Chi Minh City for the first time. Though it was not mentioned in the statement, Wong is also expected to reach an agreement with her Vietnamese hosts on when the two countries will upgrade their current strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership – the highest designation in Vietnam’s hierarchy of diplomatic relations. According to Nguyen Tat Thanh, Vietnam’s ambassador to Australia, the upgrade will be officially announced after the two sides have completed various internal procedures, implying that the basic content of the partnership has been agreed upon.

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