A celebration was held on Friday in Ho Chi Minh City for the 45th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties.

The milestone has become more special when the two countries elevated their ties to strategic partnership in March this year, the southern metropolis’ chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said at the ceremony.

Australia and Ho Chi Minh City have reaped multiple significant achievements in their cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, education-training, culture and tourism, particularly the 180-strong Australian-invested projects, collectively worth nearly US$190 million, in the city, according to the chairman.

The southern city established ties with Australia’s Northern Territory in 2014.

The two sides’ universities are actively implementing a number of cooperation projects, including the training of 500 masters and doctors for Vietnam’s southern economic hub, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Phong underlined that the collaboration between the Vietnamese city and Australian localities will further develop in the coming time on the foundation of mutual trust and the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Craig Chittick hailed the Ho Chi Minh City ceremony as a wonderful event to mark the 45-year-old diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Australia.

The celebration demonstrated the warm friendship between the two countries over the past years and the wish of Australian people to explore Vietnamese culture, the diplomat underlined.

Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove (right) and Ho Chi Minh City chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong shake hand during their meeting in the southern Vietnamese city on May 25, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove, who is on a state visit to Vietnam on this occasion, also met with chairman Phong on Friday.

The Governor-General then visited the level-two field hospital No. 1, based at the Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City.

In his remarks, Cosgrove underlined that Australia is proud to stand by Vietnam in preparing for and implementing the task of training military doctors, who he said will care for the health and lives of not only the UN peacekeeping force but also people in the countries they work in.

He said it is honor for Australia to help Vietnam train English skills and support it with some equipment, adding that the two sides have been moving closer and closer to each other during the 20 years of defense cooperation.