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Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E Robyn Mudie

As 2020 is drawing near, what New Year wishes would you love to extend to the people in Vietnam?

I am very excited to be celebrating my first Tet in Vietnam in twenty-five years. I have many fond memories of this special time of year, especially the peaceful atmosphere as people visit family and friends and share the traditions and food of Tet. I used to love seeing the orange kumquat trees and pink peach blossoms being transported by bicycle as people prepared for the holiday. These days I expect I will see many more motorcycles than bicycles, but I am sure the streets of Hanoi will feel just as festive as they used to in the old days. My husband, two sons and I are looking forward to decorating our house, sampling Banh Chung, and exploring the streets and temples in the Old Quarter to soak up the Tet atmosphere. These are all things I enjoyed during my first posting in Ha Noi!

The atmosphere of Tet on a Hanoi street (1995) in a photo taken by Ambassador Robyn Mudie

To all our Vietnamese friends, I wish you health, happiness and success in the Year of the Golden Rat. Over the Tet holiday, I hope everyone has the opportunity to come together with their families and friends, take stock of the previous year, and be thankful for the small joys in life. I have been told that Golden Rats are believed to augur extremely lucky years, bringing bountiful harvests, love, professional success and new opportunities to lead a more positive life. I hope that 2020 will bring success to Vietnam and its people as well as to the Australia-Vietnam relationship.

Happy New Year!

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc during his official visit to Vietnam from 22-24 August 2019

As VUFO (the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations) just begins its sixth tenure, could you share with us your expectation of what VUFO can do to help reinforce the people-to-people ties between Australia and Vietnam?

In today’s complex and interconnected world, people to people relationships matter more than ever. Strong links between people lead to shared understanding. This in turn empowers us to address challenges and to work together, to turn our aspirations into reality. Be it tackling marine plastic pollution, catalysing change for gender equality, or promoting peace and stability in our region, we need to work across countries and across cultures to find solutions.

Fortunately, the relationship between Australia and Vietnam and our two peoples has never been stronger. Organisations like the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations play an important role in building these personal connections, particularly at the grassroots level. I am always heartened to hear stories of our volunteers, students, scholars, scientists, sports people, entrepreneurs, innovators and others working together for the betterment of both our countries.

For example, in the past the Australian Embassy has collaborated with Australia-Vietnam friendship associations to hold football tournaments, photographic displays and children’s painting competitions to encourage people to learn about Australia. VUFO also plays an important role supporting and recognising the work of Australian volunteers and non-government organisations, including through the recent awarding of Friendship Medals to Australia’s Action on Poverty and ChildFund Australia. I hope the VUFO will continue this important work into the future.

Australia and Vietnam are going to implement the Vietnam and Australia's Plan of Action for the Strategic Partnership period of 2020-2023, could you please share with us some specific activities to be held by the Embassy?

Over the past year, Australia and Vietnam have deepened ties in traditional areas such as defence, trade, investment, and education, and expanded cooperation into new areas like science and innovation. Highlights from 2019 included visits by Australian Prime Minister Morrison and Foreign Minister Payne. In 2019 we also launched our new Women in Diplomacy and Aus4Innovation programs. These programs will strengthen Vietnam’s international engagement credentials, and help foster a culture of business innovation and preparedness for Industry 4.0. I was also proud to farewell Vietnam’s Peacekeepers as they boarded an Australian Air Force C17 bound for South Sudan in November.

Australian Ambassador Robyn Mudie bidding farewell to Vietnam’s Level 2 Hospital members before they board Australia’s military aircraft C-17 for the United Mission in South Sudan on 26 November 2019. Photo: Australian Embassy in Vietnam

Looking forward to 2020, we are developing a new Plan of Action for the Strategic Partnership 2020-2023. This Plan will provide a roadmap for how Australia and Vietnam will work together towards peace and prosperity for our two countries and for the broader Indo-Pacific region. With an aspiration to become top ten trading partners, work is also progressing on an Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy to boost trade and investment. We are also working to support Vietnam as it steps up on the international stage as ASEAN Chair and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

I am also excited about our busy schedule of public events for 2020. The very best Aussie food, beverages and culture will be on show throughout April and May as part of our annual Taste of Australia promotion. We are excited to showcase Australia’s Indigenous Culture in 2020 with planning underway for Indigenous Australian painters, performing artists and chefs to visit and share their culture. Also look out for an Australian performing troop at the upcoming Hue Festival and many other events throughout the year!