Vietnam - Australia cooperation relations in the past five years have grown strongly with the flexible implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and possibly see more opportunities in the coming time, said Professor Carl Thayer from the Australian Defence Force Academy, the University of New South Wales.

The political and national defence-security relations between Vietnam and Australia have seen marked qualitative improvements over the past five years, a diplomat has said.

The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency.

The People’s Committee of central Quang Tri province in collaboration with the Irish Embassy in Vietnam held a ceremony on March 14 to turn on green lights on Hien Luong bridge in the Hien Luong-Ben Hai national relic site on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Vietnam-Ireland diplomatic relations and Ireland's St. Patrick’s Day (March 17).

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 14 for Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski, during which he suggested the two sides coordinate together closely to well organise celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties this year, including thorough preparations for the exchange of delegations in the coming time.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai on March 14 said that the city is committed to being a responsible partner and actively facilitating cooperation between businesses of Vietnam and Indonesia, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue has suggested the northern province of Hung Yen invest more in infrastructure to draw investors as room for industrial development remains ample in the region.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Do Van Chien has extended congratulations to Wang Huning over his election as Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

A wide range of activities will be held across Vietnam this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations and the 10th founding anniversary of the bilateral Strategic Partnership, French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery said on March 14.

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

Based on the fine traditional relationship in the past, this is the right time to bring Vietnam's relations with Arab countries to a new height and in a more substantial and extensive manner, said Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Vietnam Mohammed Ismaeil A. Dahlwy on March 13.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro received outgoing Vietnamese Ambassador Le Viet Duyen on March 13, highlighting the two countries’ fraternity and friendship and calling for stronger cooperation to obtain concrete results in the fields of trade and production.

The 15th National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee will convene their 21st session in Hanoi on March 15 to scrutinise a number of draft laws, according to the NA Office.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man on March 13 (local time) made a host of Vietnam’s recommendations concerning an aspiration for a world of peace, development and prosperity at the plenary session of the ongoing 146th the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Manama, Bahrain.

Vietnam and Australia have reached the targets set in the action plan for implementing the strategic partnership in the 2020 - 2023 period despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dr Nguyen Hong Hai from the Centre for Policy Futures at the University of Queensland of Australia.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man on March 13 took part in a series of meetings on the sidelines of the ongoing 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Bahrain’s capital of Manama.

The following is a list of selected news summaries last weekend by the Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien and Japanese Vice Minister of Defence Masami Oka co-chaired the ninth Vietnam-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue in Tokyo on March 13.

Vietnam attaches importance to developing relations with the Republic of Korea (RoK) and wishes to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership with the Northeast Asian country, National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai told RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Oh Young-ju.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 13 for UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Brunei Mark Garnier and UK Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Emily Hamblin to discuss two-way trade toward celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties this year.