Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Allaster Cox (left).

The ambassador confirmed that the visit will be held this year, at the invitation of Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung. He said Australia wants to boost bilateral cooperation with Vietnam in all areas, especially economics, trade, education and training.

Ambassador Cox said Australia will increase scholarships for Vietnamese students. At present, more than 9,000 Vietnamese students are studying in Australia, the highest number among communities of foreign students in Vietnam.

He said Australia wishes to help Vietnam to develop infrastructure facilities to serve economic development. The Australian government has announced an AU$12 million package for designing the Cao Lanh Bridge in the southern province of Dong Thap.

The chief of the Southeast Asia, South Asia, South Pacific Department under the Foreign Ministry, Tran Hai Hau, said after the My Thuan Bridge, it is hoped that the Cao Lanh Bridge will be the friendship bridge in the 21^st century between Vietnam and Australia.

The ambassador also confirmed that Australia will continue providing ODA for Vietnam. “Vietnam will develop more strongly in the next 20-25 years, with doubled GDP. We hope to see Vietnam’s development in the coming decades,” he said.

At the recent ASEAN Summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, Australia became the first country to grant the market economy status to Vietnam.

The two-way trade revenue between the two countries reached $6 billion in 2008, turning Australia into the third-largest trade partner of Vietnam, after China and Japan.

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