Vietnam, Australia promote trade, tourism exchange

Vietnamese Consul General in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland Nguyen Dang Thang addresses the event (Photo: VNA)

Sydney – A Vietnam-Australia trade and tourism promotion conference was held by Vietnam Airlines, Thien Minh Group and Vinpearl JSC in Sydney on April 19, drawing a large number of Australian businesses and travel firms from different Australian localities.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Consul General in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland Nguyen Dang Thang said that right after Vietnam and Australia reopened their doors one year ago, the number of tourists travelling the two countries has continuously increased.

Statistics from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam showed that Vietnam welcomed 3.66 million foreign visitors in 2022 and 3 million in the first quarter of this year, of whom 85 per cent arrived by air.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Vietnam is among the top 10 favourite destinations for Australian tourists.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines is operating direct air routes to the majority of the other nine destinations like the UK, India, the US, and Indonesia, he noted.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency, Nguyen Huu Tung, chief representative of Vietnam Airlines in Australia, said that the airlines is operating 16 flights between Vietnam and Australia each week. Particularly, the Hanoi-Melbourne route will be officially launched from June 15 with two flights per week, making it easier for Australian visitors to explore northern tourist destinations of Vietnam and transit to other countries such as Germany, France, the UK, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.

Participants at the event agreed that Vietnam has great tourism potential and is a good choice for Australian tourists.

Many Australian travel firms said that Australian tourists are increasingly interested in Vietnam and tend to choose the Southeast Asian country for their future vacations.

Yvonne Chapple from Flight Centre said that the firm has received many requests from its customers for Vietnamese tourism information, especially destinations in the north.

Chapple held that although Thailand and Bali (Indonesia) have received the largest bookings, Vietnam has still been among the top five most popular Asia destinations chosen by Australian visitors.

Boosting Australia's investment in Vietnam The Vietnam-Australia partnership is on the right track with effective economic, trade and investment cooperation in the recent years, but with nearly 2 billion USD in 550 projects as of the end of 2021, Australian investment in Vietnam has not matched potential, according to Assoc. Prof. Chu Hoang Long from the Australia National University.

Vietnam, Australia foster economic partnership The third Vietnam-Australia Economic Partnership Meeting was held in Hanoi on April 17 under the co-chair of Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung and Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell.