Today I announce the appointment of Ms Sarah Hooper as Australia's next Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City.
Australia and Vietnam enjoy a strong and growing relationship, underpinned by our Strategic Partnership.
Together we are enhancing our economic engagement, deepening strategic, defence and security cooperation, and building our knowledge and innovation partnerships.
Our Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy will accelerate joint efforts to become top ten trading partners and double two-way investment. Vietnam is currently Australia's 14th largest trading partner, with two-way trade reaching $14.7 billion in 2020.
Ho Chi Minh City is an important regional economic, trade and commercial hub. It is the gateway to the southern region of the country, an area with strong people-to-people and growing business links with Australia.
Ms Hooper is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and most recently led DFAT's Western Australia State Office. She has served overseas in New Delhi and Jakarta and as an exchange officer in Brunei.
Ms Hooper holds an Executive Master of Public Administration from the University of Western Australia and a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) from the Australian National University.
I thank outgoing Consul-General Julianne Cowley for her contributions to advancing Australia's interests in Ho Chi Minh City since 2018.
