Australia supports Vietnam’s long-term response to COVID-19

The Ambassador of Australia meeting with Minister Nguyen Chi Dung

Yesterday (June 5), Minister for Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung met with Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie at the headquarters of the ministry. The ambassador conveyed Australia’s congratulations for Vietnam’s outstanding success against COVID‑19, and committed to supporting Vietnam’s long-term response and recovery efforts.

“As Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam, I have been impressed and inspired by the swift and decisive actions taken by the Government of Vietnam to tackle the threat of COVID-19. With just a few hundred confirmed cases and no recorded deaths, Vietnam’s management of the pandemic has been exemplary, deservedly capturing the world’s attention,” said Mudie at the meeting.

Under a strategic partnership, Australia and Vietnam are working together to contain the impact of the pandemic on lives and livelihoods. The two countries recently reiterated their commitment to boosting two-way trade and investment, and to support one another in responding to the long-term effects of the pandemic.

Australia has committed AUD10.5 million ($7.3 million) toward supporting Vietnam’s COVID-19 response and recovery, in a step that further strengthens economic and development co-operation between the two countries.

“Australia has refocused much of our development programme in Vietnam to respond to COVID-19. We are supporting Vietnam by ensuring access to the best available economic analysis as the country shifts its focus toward stimulus and recovery. We are also supporting Vietnam’s efforts to protect the most vulnerable, especially women and girls who carry much of the burden as a result of the pandemic,” Ambassador Mudie said.

In addition, the flagship programmes through which Australia and Vietnam co-operate on workforce development, economic reform, infrastructure, gender equality, agriculture, tourism, and innovation are supporting Vietnam’s economic recovery priorities.

Across the Indo-Pacific region, Australia has undertaken an unprecedented pivot of its development partnerships to further support health security, economic recovery and stability in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian government’s new Partnerships for Recovery policy was launched by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Women, Senator Marise Payne on May 29, 2020.