HCMC – Australia has just delivered more than 1.1 million Australian-manufactured Covid-19 vaccine doses to Vietnam as part of its 7.8 million dose commitment to support the national vaccine rollout.
“Australia’s vaccine deliveries to neighbors across our Indo-Pacific region are complemented by additional support to ensure safe and effective vaccine rollouts. In Vietnam, Australia’s AUD60 million Covid-19 package is helping train healthcare workers, provide fridges to maintain cold chain storage and support the vaccine rollout in remote provinces,” said Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
“Timely and equitable Covid-19 vaccine access is a priority for our region, and it is important for our shared health security and economic recovery.”
Australia has delivered over 12 million doses as part of its commitment of 60 million doses for the Indo-Pacific region by the end of 2022.
In related news, the governments of Vietnam and Australia on December 21 announced the Australia Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES) to unlock significant opportunities for businesses across the two countries.
To support Australian and Vietnam businesses, the EEES is outlining a series of mutually beneficial, practical initiatives to deepen trade and investment links in key sectors, including agriculture, education, energy, services and the digital economy.
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison endorsed the strategy as an important step in realizing the two countries’ goals to become the top 10 trading partners.
“We are proud to have publicly released this strategy in partnership with Vietnam. There is enormous potential to take this relationship further as we emerge from Covid-19. Through this strategy, we can recover our economies and prosper together,” Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie said at a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong.
Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan welcomed the EEES as the foundation for Vietnam and Australia’s efforts to double the two-way investment.
“Australia and Vietnam have complementary economies – we are partners more than competitors. Our supply chains are becoming more closely entwined, meaning together we are exporting to markets around the world,” he said.
“The implementation of the EEES will unlock mutually beneficial opportunities and boost our trade and investment relationship, especially in key areas such as education, resources, agriculture, manufacturing and the digital economy.”
Over the past two decades, the two-way trade between Vietnam and Australia expanded 8.6% annually, much higher than the average growth rate of 5.8% between Australia and other ASEAN countries.
Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Australia reached some AUD14.6 billion (US$10.4 billion) last year.
