The commitment was made on a phone call between Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator Marise Payne, and Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Binh Minh, on Thursday.
Earlier, the Australian Government had provided AU$ 100,000 of humanitarian aid for Vietnam.
In a wide-ranging discussion, the ministers talked about the strengthening ties between the two countries. They agreed that the two sides support each other through challenging times, work to enhance economic ties and collaborate in dealing with global and regional challenges, including COVID-19 response and recovery. Senator Payne also expressed Australia’s condolences to the Vietnamese people over their tragic loss of life and extensive damage caused by the recent floods and landslides.
Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E Ms Robyn Mudie, said Australia’s humanitarian aid, contributing to the local ongoing relief efforts in Vietnam’s central provinces, will be allotted by the humanitarian partners of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership that are already working to support affected communities on the ground, including UNICEF and non-government organizations.
“The relationship between Vietnam and Australia will always be strong in the face of challenges,” Ambassador Mudie said. “When Australia experienced devastating bushfires last summer, we felt the outpouring of support from the government and people of Vietnam. We know from our own experience of natural disasters that the road to recovery will be long and challenging, and we stand with our Vietnamese partners at this time.” Australia has also redirected resources through its CSIRO-led Aus4Innovation program toward relief efforts, with UTS Rapido Vietnam providing water treatment systems to communities in need.
More than 230 people have lost their lives, more than 350,000 households have been significantly damaged, and essential community infrastructure including schools and health centers have been damaged or destroyed as the aftermath of the recent natural disasters in Vietnam.
Australian support will help meet affected local people’s urgent needs for clean water and sanitation, and provide hygiene and dignity kits. It will also support the restoration of clean water supply to schools, while helping children to continue their education as communities rebuild and recover.
Reported by Binh Chau-Hoang Linh