Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at a hall meeting with the Vietnamese citizens in Canberra on Thursday that he had proposed Australia's recognition of the Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority during recent discussions with Australian leaders.

The meeting is part of Chinh's ongoing official visit to Australia, lasting from Thursday to Sunday.

According to Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Australian leaders have acknowledged the proposal and will consider it. 

The Vietnamese community in Australia comprises approximately 350,000 individuals and ranks fifth among foreign ethnic communities in the country. 

Some 160,000 of them live in Queensland and New South Wales while 130,000 dwell in South Australia and Victoria. 

During Thursday’s meeting, Tran Ba Phuc, chairman of the Vietnamese Business Association in Australia, proposed that the Vietnamese Party and government review regulations on issuing passports and identification cards to overseas Vietnamese.

Phuc also advocated for more Vietnamese trade representative agencies in Australia.

Chu Hoang Long, chairman of the Vietnamese Intellectual Association in Australia, suggested support for connecting Vietnamese intellectuals and students abroad to aid in their home country’s development.

Currently, four of Australia’s eight states and internal territories have opened trade offices to invest in Vietnam, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam.

With the Vietnamese student population in Australia currently standing at 32,000, the continuous increase has led to the formation of a Vietnamese Australian Students Association.

In response, PM Chinh expressed gratitude for the Vietnamese community’s contributions to national development and emphasized the importance of fostering innovation within the community. 

He urged them to continue maintaining unity, compliance with Australian laws, and active integration into the local society to further contribute to Australia’s development.

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