Meeting Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne in Hà Nội on Thursday, PM Phúc also suggested the two sides effectively uphold the current bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Relations between Việt Nam and Australia have been developing fruitfully in recent years, PM Phúc said, adding that Australia has annually trained nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students. Australia currently ranks 19th among 128 foreign investors in Việt Nam with total investment of over $1.84 billion, while Việt Nam is running 47 direct investment projects in Australia. He welcomed Payne for selecting Việt Nam as one of the first countries to visit in the second week of her new working tenure. The minister said she will direct the Australian foreign ministry to expand new cooperation with Việt Nam in the spirit of strategic partnership.
