On the morning of April 02, in Melbourne city, Victoria state, Australia, comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and a delegation from Nghe An province had a meeting with Australian enterprises and the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia.

Joining the delegation were comrades: Nguyen Thi Thu Huong - Member of the Standing Committee, Head of Commission for Mass Mobilization of Provincial Party Committee; Nguyen Van De - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee (PPC) and leaders of relevant departments and branches.

Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu introduces industrial products and OCOP products of Nghe An province to the delegates

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam attended the meeting and spoke via the online system. Attending the meeting were representatives of 40 Vietnamese enterprises and entrepreneurs in Australia.

Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Pham Hung Tam highly appreciated the working visit of leaders of Nghe An province. The visit took place after Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Australia and attendance at the 50-year Australia-ASEAN Partnership Conference, upgrading the Viet Nam-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership. The visit of the Nghe An province delegation is a practical activity to implement this relationship.

Ambassador Pham Hung Tam affirmed that Nghe An has rich natural conditions, synchronous infrastructure, and solar and wind resources to develop renewable energy. Melbourne is a commercial center, with a dynamic start-up community, advanced technology, etc. Nghe An and Australia have potential for economic cooperation, especially trade, investment, and tourism. The two countries' newly upgraded partnership will open up opportunities for the two sides to expand cooperative relationships. The Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia also proposed that entrepreneurs and enterprises in Melbourne come to Nghe An to learn about investing, etc.

At the meeting, the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee expressed his pleasure to visit the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia and work with the Association's members, and thanked the Association for its effective support in connecting and thoughtfully arranging the group's activities in Melbourne.

Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu informed the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia about the economic and social situation of Nghe An province in recent times, especially the positive results in attracting foreign investment. Implementing the foreign policy of the Party and State, Nghe An in recent years has actively and proactively implemented the international integration strategy, promoting cooperative activities with countries around the world. However, the province's major partners are still Northeast Asian and ASEAN countries. For Australia, the province currently cooperates mainly on trade. A few cooperation projects in the field of investment.

In 2023, export turnover to Australia reached more than 21 million USD, the main export items are cement, steel sheets of all kinds, shoes, processed fruits and fruit juice, paving stones, etc.; import turnover from Australia reached nearly 20 million USD, of which the main imported items are beef, animal feed, and raw materials for production.

Regarding FDI investment, in the province there were previously 2 projects with Australian investment capital with a capital of 16.5 million USD, but now the investor of Mavin Ausfeed Animal Feed Production Company, an Australian investor, has withdrawn capital and transferred it to Viet Nam.

Regarding Nghe An's investment in Australia: Starting from 2019, TH Group has pioneered paving the way for large-scale agricultural investment in Australia by acquiring, taking over and developing 3 beef cattle stations (farm areas) in Northern and Western Australia with total investment capital is 130 million AUD. On Australia's Tamania island, TH Group is growing grapes to produce wine and will build resorts in the future to attract tourists, first of all international students.

Recently, Nghe An province also organized a number of investment promotion seminars in the states of Victoria (Melbourne), South Australia (Adelaide) and New South Wales (Sydney) of Australia (2017).

It can be said that the cooperative relationship between Nghe An and Australia has had certain results, however the results are still limited and not commensurate with the potential of both sides. 

Comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu hoped that the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia will continue to promote its core role in connecting and encouraging Vietnamese enterprises and entrepreneurs in Australia to promote trade and investment cooperation between enterprises of the two countries, creating a bridge to introduce enterprises to learn about and invest in Nghe An province, especially in areas such as: High-tech industry; marine economy, marine urban areas; tourism, training, finance - banking; high-tech agriculture; agricultural and aquatic product processing.

At the meeting, Vice Chairman of the PPC Nguyen Van De introduced some of Nghe An province's potential to Australian enterprises and affirmed that the province will be determined to devote adequate resources to best meet the requirements of investors, including investors from Australia. In particular, striving to well implement the "5 readiness" to welcome enterprises to invest successfully, sustainably, and long-term in Nghe An.

On behalf of the delegation, the Vice Chairman of the PPC answered and clarified questions and content that Australian enterprises were interested in learning about Nghe An.

Mr. Tran Ba Phuc - Chairman of the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia said: The Vietnamese community is very happy when the country's position is increasingly enhanced. In particular, with the visit of the Prime Minister, Viet Nam and Australia have upgraded diplomatic relations to the highest level. This is also a favorable condition for Vietnamese enterprises to do business in Australia, promoting bilateral trade and investment cooperation.

Personally, Mr. Phuc affirmed that, although he has been away from his country for nearly half a century, he is still very proud to be a Vietnamese who has never stopped thinking about his roots and the land of Viet Nam. Mr. Phuc also said that the community of about 6 million Vietnamese people around the world should strengthen solidarity and look towards the country and homeland, becoming an inseparable part of the nation. Mr. Tran Ba Phuc is currently a member of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, Vice Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Businessmen Association, Vice Chairman of the For the Beloved Hoang Sa and Truong Sa Club.

Since 2010, Mr. Phuc established the Vietnamese Business Association in Australia (VBAA). The Association is recognized by both the Australian and Vietnamese Governments and since its inception has become a safe bridge for Vietnamese businessmen in Australia with domestic enterprises.

To date, there are about 500 members, including about 100 domestic members. The Association has actively supported Vietnamese enterprises exporting to Australia; promptly reflected the development situation of the homeland and the country; promoted trade, displayed, introduced, and brought Vietnamese goods to Australian supermarkets.

Mr. Phuc pledged that the Association will continue to play a good role as a bridge to promote trade, investment and business between Nghe An and Australia and he believed that economic cooperation between Nghe An and Australia will prosper in the coming time, especially when the two countries have established a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Representative of enterprises speaks

At the meeting, Australian enterprises spoke and expressed their interest in Nghe An in fields such as agriculture (producing and processing livestock, vegetables, finding partners to import Nghe An's peanuts). A number of enterprises want to cooperate in real estate, finance, and information technology.

On this occasion, the Nghe An Province delegation opened a booth for OCOP Nghe An products at the Trade Promotion Center under the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia.

Nghe An possesses a large number of OCOP products and abundant potential. Besides focusing on improving product quality, the province has been making efforts to connect to expand markets and find outlets for regional specialty OCOP.

Many OCOP products of Nghe An province are currently exported to international markets such as Duc Phong rattan and bamboo products (5 stars) have been exported to markets in countries such as France, Germany, etc.; Dien Thai (Dien Chau) coriander has been exported to the Korean and Japanese markets; Van Phan (Dien Chau) fish sauce products exported to Japan; eel (NAP) products exported to Australia and Japan; Bien Quynh seafood products exported to the US, etc.

The opening of the OCOP Nghe An products booth this time by the Provincial Delegation is an activity to promote and introduce Nghe An products to Australian enterprises and consumers. There are more than 20 items displayed at the booth including: teas from Pu Mat Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, lotus tea from Uncle Hometown’ Lotus Cooperative, brocade of Hoa Tien Cooperative, bamboo and rattan handicrafts of Duc Phong Co., Ltd., Fine arts products of Tra Lan Cooperative, etc.

On this occasion, the Provincial Investment and Trade Promotion Center and the Vietnamese Businessmen Association in Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on investment, trade and tourism cooperation in the presence of Australian enterprises.

The visit and work of the Nghe An province delegation took place immediately after the visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in early March this year, in the context that after more than 50 years of establishing diplomacy, the relationship between the two countries has made great progress, achieving comprehensive results. In particular, during the visit, the Prime Ministers of the two countries announced the upgrade of Viet Nam - Australia relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Source: Nghe An Newspaper (April 02, 2024)