Vietnam, Australia step up hi-tech agriculture cooperation

On the occasion of the visit, Danielle Haratsis, Australian Trade and Investment Commissioner in Vietnam, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper that the two economies have strong potential to expand two-way trade and investment because of their complementary strengths, particularly in hi-tech agriculture.

As part of a program to promote bilateral cooperation in science and technology, Vietnam and Australia exchanged seven cooperation documents on Tuesday.

Among them was a memorandum of understanding between Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on agriculture and sustainable rural development.

Suggesting that Australia could explore opportunities to grow Vietnamese coffee, Party chief and State President Lam expressed confidence that the two countries would further expand cooperation across a wide range of areas, including hi-tech agriculture, biotechnology, agricultural processing, trade and investment.

Haratsis believes that promising areas for Australia-Vietnam cooperation include high-value agricultural products, rice, food processing, agritech, climate-resilient agriculture and supply-chain innovation.

She said Australia could help Vietnam modernize its agricultural sector through technologies such as precision agriculture, automation, remote monitoring, artificial intelligence for farm management and advanced post-harvest solutions.

Combining Australia’s strengths in technology and research with Vietnam’s production and processing capabilities will help create sustainable, competitive agricultural value chains with higher added value.

With the two countries targeting bilateral trade of US$20 billion, Haratsis identified agriculture and food, clean energy, education and skills training, resources, as well as innovation and technology partnerships, as areas with strong growth potential.

Agriculture and food, in particular, remains a highly promising field of cooperation.

Australian products are highly regarded by Vietnamese consumers, while Vietnam continues to strengthen its position as a major producer and exporter of agricultural and food products to Australia.

In the first half of 2026, two-way trade rose 15.5 percent year on year to AU$12.5 billion ($8.8 billion), driven by strong growth in agricultural and food products and resources from Australia, as well as manufactured and technology products from Vietnam.

“Growing consumer demand in both countries is creating opportunities for more premium, higher-value and processed food products,” Haratsis said.

Vietnam currently exports six types of fruit to Australia, including dragon fruit, lychee, longan, mango, passion fruit and pomelo.

Other major Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fishery exports to Australia include seafood, vegetables, coffee, rice and cashew nuts.

Meanwhile, Australia exports dairy products, various fruits and vegetables, wheat, animal and vegetable fats and oils, and other food preparations to Vietnam.

Australia regards Vietnam as a key market for its agriculture and food industries.

According to Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, two-way agricultural trade reached AU$4.4 billion ($3.1 billion) in 2024.

Building on these results, Haratsis said Vietnam and Australia have a major opportunity to move beyond traditional trade ties and develop more integrated agricultural value chains.

The top Vietnamese leader, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, on Sunday departed Hanoi for state visits to Australia and New Zealand, which will run through Friday.

The visits have been made at the invitations of Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn and Governor-General of New Zealand Cindy Kiro.

He and the Vietnamese delegation left Australia on Wednesday for New Zealand.