Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung emphasized that fighting COVID-19 is now the top priority of ASEAN. He also added that in its current role as ASEAN Chair, Vietnam has promoted the spirit of “Cohesive and Responsive", and actively coordinated to boost joint efforts of the bloc and cooperation with partners in the fight against the pandemic.

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Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung

For his part, Hayhurst highly appreciated Vietnam's role and efforts in its capacity as ASEAN Chair 2020 in the past time, affirming that Australia will continue supporting and working closely with Vietnam in fighting COVID-19 via regional cooperation mechanisms, including ASEAN – Australia cooperation forums and the East Asia Summit (EAS).

The two officials agreed to continue maintaining the Vietnam - Australia strategic partnership in all fields.

Dung thanked the Australian Government for their readiness to offer technical support to Vietnam to mitigate socio-economic impacts caused by COVID-19.

He hoped that the Australian authorities continue supporting Vietnamese citizens and students in this difficult time.

Hayhurst also thanked the Vietnamese Government for providing medical and consular support for Australian citizens and tourists affected by the pandemic. 

He affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will work with the Ministry of Education and Training, and other functional agencies to support Vietnamese students in Australia.

Translated by Lam Anh