Australian Ambassador to Counter Modern Slavery, People Smuggling and Human Trafficking Lynn Bell praised her country’s comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam, especially in the fight against human trafficking and transnational crimes, during a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Hung Tam on June 4.

During the event at the Vietnamese Embassy in Canberra, Bell highlighted the effective coordination between the Australian Border Force and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security under the 2016 memorandum of understanding on the return of Vietnamese citizens. The agreement was signed between the Vietnamese ministry and the then Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Bell commended Vietnamese authorities' collaboration with the Australian side in tackling numerous cases, particularly those involving illegal entries and exits.

She underscored the importance of information sharing and joint investigations to combat human trafficking. She also stressed the need to detect and warn against fraudulent tactics, including the trafficking of victims to Australia by sea and the false promises of visas and employment in the country.

In reply, Vietnamese Ambassador Tam expressed appreciation for the close coordination in the field between the Australian Border Force, the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the embassy, amid the growing bilateral tourism ties and people-to-people exchanges.

The diplomat thanked the Australian Border Force for maintaining a hotline and promptly updating Vietnamese authorities on cases involving human trafficking and illegal entries by Vietnamese citizens. He affirmed that citizen protection remains a top priority for the embassy.

He also proposed that Bell and the Border Force continue their frequent information sharing and close cooperation in these critical issues with the Vietnamese ministry and embassy./.