Vietnam and Australia will continue to promote cooperation in the fields of science, technology, innovation, the digital economy, and human resource training.
On May 25, 2026, in Hanoi, the Minister of Science and Technology (MoST) Vu Hai Quan held a working session with Ms. Gillian Bird, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Australia to Vietnam, along with a delegation from the Australian Embassy.
Minister of Science and Technology Vu Hai Quan discusses with Ambassador Gillian Bird further strengthening cooperation between the two countries in science, technology, and innovation.
During the meeting, Ms. Gillian Bird stated that Vietnam and Australia upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024, with science, technology, and innovation (STI) as one of the vital pillars. According to the Ambassador, around 90% of the cooperative activities within the framework of this Comprehensive Strategic Partnership have been and are currently being deployed.
Fostering the Digital Economy and Strategic Technology
Discussing digital economy cooperation between Vietnam and Australia, Minister Vu Hai Quan assessed it as a core area of cooperation that both sides need to continue advancing. According to the Minister, the digital economy is a crucial pillar of Vietnam’s economic growth, with a target of contributing around 30% to the country’s GDP by 2030. While this is a challenging target, Vietnam is determined to develop its digital economy.
The Minister expressed Vietnam’s desire to learn from Australia’s experience in digital economy development, affirming that the early finalization of an agreement in this sector will create favorable conditions for digital economic growth.
Another point strongly emphasized by both Minister Vu Hai Quan and Ambassador Gillian Bird was to more vigorously boost the operations of the Australia-Vietnam Strategic Technology Center (AVSTC). The center was launched in 2025 at Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology (PTIT) on the basis of a partnership between the Institute and the University of Technology Sydney, featuring the participation of Nokia as a partner.
The activities of the AVSTC center hold exceptional importance in the context of Vietnam’s recent issuance of the List of Strategic Technologies and the List of Strategic Technological Products.
An overview of the working session.
The Minister affirmed that the Ministry of Science and Technology will provide resources to enable PTIT to coordinate with the University of Technology Sydney in implementing collaborative content. Accordingly, the Center’s operational orientation is to generate concrete products from collaborative research.
Promoting Innovation Programs and Joint Research Funding
During the reception, Minister Vu Hai Quan and Ambassador Gillian Bird also discussed further efforts to promote the Aus4Innovation Program. The Minister highly appreciated the results achieved by the program recently, especially content related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), and exchanged views on continuing to accelerate the program’s deployment in the coming period.
Minister Vu Hai Quan and Ambassador Gillian Bird also exchanged ideas on supporting research, development, and human resource training. Currently, there are over 300 cooperative partnerships between universities of the two countries, focusing primarily on science, technology, and innovation.
Among these, the operational efficiency of the RMIT campus in Ho Chi Minh City is recognized as a symbol of educational cooperation between Vietnam and Australia. Regarding RMIT’s expansion plan for a campus in Hanoi, the Ministry of Science and Technology affirmed its readiness to accompany the project in accordance with regulations.
Minister Vu Hai Quan and Ambassador Gillian Bird also agreed to look into implementing a co-funding mechanism for a number of academic research projects between Vietnam and Australia. Concurrently, they plan to organize a forum on science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and the digital economy between the two countries to foster exchanges regarding policy building and cooperative networking.
