00:02There have been a host of agreements signed, Ros, but on the face of it too look perhaps
00:06particularly interesting.
00:07The first, a joint statement on economic resilience.
00:10This is similar to some of the agreements that the government has signed with other
00:14countries in South East Asia and North Asia before, particularly when the fuel crisis
00:18looked at its most acute earlier this year.
00:20Now there are no binding commitments, best as I can tell, but both countries say in the
00:24event of disruptions they're going to consult with each other and do everything possible
00:28to keep the flow of essential goods between the two countries.
00:32So the government would probably see this as part of its broader efforts to really shore
00:37up supply chains in the face of not just the crisis in Iran but also anticipating perhaps
00:42future shocks to those supply chains.
00:45There's also a joint vision statement on defence and security cooperation along with a host
00:50of other PACs on economic cooperation.
00:53Look at this stage it's difficult to gauge the significance of this but a couple of things
00:57that are interesting.
00:58A commitment to do more when it comes to joint training between Vietnam and Australia.
01:03Also a commitment from both sides to do more when it comes to Coast Guard cooperation.
01:08Now exactly what shape that takes I don't yet know but that is interesting given the fact
01:13that as you know Vietnam and China have been caught up in a pretty bitter conflict or at least
01:18a dispute in the South China Sea.
01:20It hasn't regularly broken out into open confrontation as we've seen with for example China and the
01:27Philippines but interesting to see Australia and Vietnam make these commitments to one
01:31another against that backdrop.
01:33And tell us more about the backdrop then Stephen.
01:36How much common ground is there between Australia and Vietnam?
01:39Look in some ways they're very different countries obviously with very different traditions.
01:43You know Vietnam's government is an authoritarian one and you know there are some very big differences
01:49not with you know for example the fact that you know Russia maintains for example a very
01:53close military relationship with Vietnam.
01:56And Vietnam although it's built up security ties with the US recently is never going to be
02:00a formal security ally of Washington DC.
02:04That said in the broad there is a bit of common ground.
02:06Neither Vietnam nor Australia wants to see China dominate the entire region.
02:12And under Thao Lam you are seeing Vietnam reaching out increasingly to other partners
02:16and other middle powers including Australia not just on the economic front but also strategically
02:22as well.
02:22Now there are probably some hard limits in terms of how far Australia is willing to go with
02:26Vietnam in part because of its close party to party ties with China and also its relationship
02:32with Moscow.
02:33But obviously Canberra does see some room there where we can do more together and it's keen
02:38to pursue that.
02:39And has the President been greeted by any protesters Stephen?
02:42Yeah there have been some not a huge number but they are at the front of Parliament House right
02:46now which is just worth remembering of course the current government is one that does have
02:51its supporters here in the Vietnamese diaspora but there are large numbers in the Vietnamese
02:56community particularly those from South Vietnam as it was before the end of the war who feel
03:02very hostile to the current government and to this President.
03:05And they point out the fact that there still aren't basic freedoms in Vietnam and they are urging
03:09the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to use this meeting to raise those concerns with the President.
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