RMIT welcomes Prime Minister of Vietnam for bilateral activities in Australia

RMIT University welcomed the Prime Minister of Vietnam H.E. Mr Pham Minh Chinh, senior members of the Vietnamese government, and other dignitaries to its Melbourne campus on 5 March 2024 for bilateral activities to advance Australia-Vietnam relations. 

With the 2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit being held in Melbourne, RMIT had the privilege to welcome Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the University’s city campus in the heart of Melbourne. 

Prime Minister Chinh attended the inauguration of the Australia Vietnam Policy Institute (AVPI) Front Door, together with the Premier of Victoria Hon Jacinta Allan MP, Australian Assistant Minister for Trade Senator the Hon Tim Ayres, the Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son, and other dignitaries. 
 

^{Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the inauguration of the Australia Vietnam Policy Institute’s Front Door, located at RMIT campus in Melbourne.} 

Co-founded in 2022 by RMIT and its partners, the AVPI is Australia's first policy institute focused on its relationship with Vietnam.  

In its first two years of operations, the AVPI has created a strong digital presence, convened over 800 organisations on opportunities in the bilateral relationship, and cultivated a growing consortium of 26 partners to date.  

The AVPI’s Front Door in Melbourne shares a physical location with the RMIT Asia Trade and Innovation Hub, creating an additional link into Vietnam and facilitating greater regional engagement, connection and trade. 

Prime Minister Chinh also joined around 300 senior government officials and business leaders at the Australia Vietnam Business Forum, hosted by the Government of Australia in partnership with the Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment and with the support of the AVPI. 

The forum, held at RMIT, focused on the economic relationship between Australia and Vietnam and opportunities for deepening two-way trade and investment.  
 

^{The Australia-Vietnam Business Forum welcomed around 300 business and government leaders from both countries}

RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Alec Cameron said, “We are delighted the Prime Minister of Vietnam had the chance to see first-hand the deep commitment that RMIT has in supporting the economic prosperity of Vietnam, not only through our education and research capabilities, but through key strategic initiatives like the RMIT Asia Trade Innovation Hub and AVPI.” 

He added that with two established campuses in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, more than 12,000 active students, 20,000 alumni and 1200 staff, RMIT is proud of its long-standing presence in Vietnam. 

“We have a clear vision to be a leading university of impact not just in Vietnam but in the Asia Pacific region. With Southeast Asia projected to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2040, RMIT is well placed to partner to meet the increasing education needs of its growing population,” Professor Cameron said.