Speaking to Viet Nam News Agency reporters in Oceania, many Vietnamese expatriates said the visits marked more than diplomatic milestones but signaled the Party and State’s attention to overseas Vietnamese communities.
Tran Ba Phuc, Chairman of the Vietnamese Business Association in Australia, said the visit affirmed Viet Nam’s rising position and the importance of the bilateral relationship. For those living abroad, he said, the more personal significance was a stronger connection to Viet Nam’s development.
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Huynh Tan Dat, President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia |
Phuc called for more favorable mechanisms to link expatriate resources, including business experience, knowledge and host country networks, with Viet Nam’s development needs.
Huynh Tan Dat, President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia, said the visit injected new momentum into the Viet Nam–Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and demonstrated the Party and State's attention to overseas students and young people.
He hoped that youth and intellectual associations will have more opportunities to join cooperation agendas of the two countries and make more practical contribution to Viet Nam.
Minh Ha Patmore, a member of the Viet–Aus Culture Exchange Organization, said she was very moved and proud to meet the Vietnamese leader. Working in culture and arts, she said deeper bilateral ties will open more space for Vietnamese culture in Australia, particularly among second- and third-generation Vietnamese Australians, with more venues to showcase music, instruments, and traditions, connecting young people to their roots.
In New Zealand, Nguyen Truong Khoai, Vice Chairman of the New Zealand–Viet Nam Friendship Association, shared that the visit sparked high hopes for a new chapter in closer relations.
He noted benefits could soon be seen in everyday life, from stronger education and tourism exchanges to increased technological cooperation and, notably, the possibility of a direct air link. These stronger connections will make distance less of a hurdle for expatriates, businesses, students, and citizens of both countries.
Nguyen Thi Huong, Co-Vice Chairwoman of the New Zealand–Viet Nam Friendship Association, focused on education and future generations. New Zealand has strengths in education while Viet Nam boasts a young and dynamic workforce.
Stronger training links and exchanges, Huong said, will meet immediate needs while preparing a future generation of leaders, experts, and young people capable of bridging the two countries.
Nguyen Lam Giang, head of Southeast Asia and East Asia regional engagement activities at the University of Waikato and Co-Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Knowledge Network in New Zealand, said the visit came as bilateral ties were opening up new opportunities.
According to her, education, science–technology, and innovation are areas where Vietnamese intellectuals in New Zealand can serve as a bridge. Vietnamese professionals at universities, research institutes, and businesses in New Zealand understand the homeland’s needs and have local networks and experience.
Giang expressed her hope that the visit would pave the way for a more concrete cooperation agenda in training, research, and knowledge transfer while giving expatriates a deeper role in connecting the two countries.
Source: VNA