Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd will pay a working visit to Vietnam on April 13 at the invitation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Pham Gia Khiem.

This is Mr Rudd’s first visit to Vietnam as a foreign minister and he aims to boost the comprehensive partnership between the two countries and implement an action plan for 2010-2013.

Both sides will also discuss measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Before being elected Australian Foreign Minister in September 2010, Mr Rudd was the Australian Prime Minister from November 2007 to June 2010.

The comprehensive cooperation between Australia and Vietnam has been continuously developing.

Australia is currently among Vietnam’s biggest trade partners, with two-way trade turnover reaching US$3.8 billion in 2010, up 14 percent over the previous year. In the first two months of 2011, the figure was estimated at US$600 million.

As of March 2011, Australia has 238 projects in Vietnam with a total investment of US$1.17 billion and ranks 20th among the 92 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.

Each year Australia grants 225 scholarships to Vietnamese students for post-graduate programmes and nearly 25,000 Vietnamese students are now studying in Australia.

Source: VOV