Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Hugh Borrowman launched Australia ’s
programme to mark the 40 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between
Australia and Vietnam at a ceremony on February 26.
“We hope
this programme will further enhance links and create a platform for
further exchanges between the two countries,” said Ambassador Borrowman.
The
celebration programme will see a variety of cultural and educational
events, including dance, music, visual arts, food, science and sports
that feature Australia ’s creativity, innovation and its
multicultural society.
It will begin with a performance by
Bangarra Dance Theatre , Australia ’s leading Indigenous dance
theatre group at the Hanoi Opera House on March 2. The 22-member group
will also perform in Ho Chi Minh City on March 6 before taking part
in workshops with Vietnamese dancers and underprivileged youth.
Other
highlights of the programme include an interactive science and
education exhibition from Australia’s National Science and Technology
Centre, – Questacon, and performances by award winning jazz trio Elixir,
the Indigenous visual art exhibition, and a week-long competition for
children in HCM City.
The programme is supported by Australia
International Cultural Council (AICC), an initiative of the Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Vietnam is AICC’s focus country for
2013.
In reviewing the two countries’ wide-ranging cooperation
achievements, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said the outcomes
recorded over the past 40 years provide a firm foundation for the two
countries’ friendly and all-faceted cooperation relationship to grow
into a strategic partnership.
Celebratory activities marking the
40 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries will
create a momentum for furthering their multi-dimensional relationship in
the coming time, Son said.
Vietnamese agencies will coordinate
with the Australian embassy in Vietnam to organise meetings, a
get-together for Vietnamese alumni in Australia , and a seminar on the
40 years of Vietnam-Australia relations in Vietnam .
Meanwhile,
Vietnamese missions posted in Australia will hold a Vietnamese
cultural and tourism festival, and seminars to promote Vietnamese trade,
investment and tourism in Sydney .
Since the
establishment of diplomatic relations on February 26, 1973, the
relationship between Vietnam and Australia has broadened in
cooperation, including political exchanges, trade, investment, aid,
education and defence.
In 2009, the two countries established a
comprehensive partnership, paving the way for deeper and increasingly
diversified relations.