Australian PM savours Vietnamese foods, drinks locally brewed beer

Updated: 15:03, 04/06/2023

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had lunch at an eatery in Hanoi’s Old Quarter on June 3, where he tried the world-famous Vietnamese sandwich "banh mi", a favourite street food of many Vietnamese people and foreign tourists, and drank " bia hoi ", a locally brewed beer often used by Hanoians on hot summer days.

•Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership makes impressive progress: expert

•Bac Giang has 12 more lychee growing area codes to export to Australia and Thailand

•Vietnamese box office hit gets release in US, Australia

"Banh mi" is ranked 7th among the best street foods in the world by TasteAtlas, a website dedicated to discovering fresh ingredients, traditional dishes, and authentic restaurants around the world.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese drinks "bia hoi" and says cheers with locals in the eatery.

CNN Travel has also included "banh mi" among its top 24 sandwiches in the world in 2023. According to the website, Banh mi can be easily found at street vendors and food carts everywhere. This is not only a popular breakfast/lunch/dinner of Vietnamese people, but also well-known and beloved by many foreign visitors.

It is regularly ranked in the list of delicious dishes that foreign tourists must try when visiting Vietnam. CNN said the classic version is pork-based, starring cha lua (Vietnamese-style pork roll), shredded pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cilantro leaves, mayonnaise and other ingredients. Depending on the region, travelers can taste different kinds of "banh mi" with various fillings. The taste is crunchy, fresh, savory, and utterly delicious.

In addition to "banh mi" and "bia hoi", PM Albanese also enjoyed boiled peanuts, grilled chopped fish, grilled pork and dried soya curds mixed with fresh onion leaves.

The PM commended the Vietnamese cuisine with diverse and unique dishes, and expressed his delight at sentiments and hospitality of local people.

PM Albanese arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at noon on June 3, beginning a two-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh.

Right after his arrival, the PM visited the Hanoi campus of Australia’s RMIT University.

This is the first official visit to Vietnam by PM Albanese since he took office and only two months after a State-level visit by Australian Governor-General David Hurley, showing Australia's great attention to the Southeast Asian nation.

Within the framework of the visit, PM Albanese and the Australian delegation are scheduled to laid wreaths in tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi; hold talks with PM Chinh and meet with the press; meet with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

The Australian leader is also scheduled to join with PM Chinh in an exchange event with the women’s football teams of Australia and Vietnam; go for a tour of Hanoi; and visit RMIT University and United Nations International School (UNIS) in Hanoi.

The visit by PM Albanese is expected to reinforce political trust and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fields of politics, diplomacy, security, defence, economy, investment, labour, technology, climate change response, and people-to-people exchanges.

Australian Governor-General hails Vietnamese peacekeepers' contributions

Australian Governor-General David Hurley praised the Vietnamese blue beret force’s contributions and stressed the meaning of the Vietnam-Australia cooperation in the UN's peacekeeping mission when he and President Vo Van Thuong visited the headquarters of the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations in Hanoi on April 4.

President receives Australian governor-general

President Vo Van Thuong hosted a ceremony Tuesday morning to welcome Australian Governor-General David Hurley, who is on a state visit to Vietnam.

2023 AFC U20 Asian Cup finals: AFC praises Vietnam’s victory against Australia

Vietnam’s March 1 triumph at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U20 Asian Cup finals gives them an early boost while the rivals Australia will have to bounce back in their remaining matches to stand a chance of advancing to the knockout stage, said an article published on the AFC’s official site.

Vietnam leads Southeast Asia in wooden furniture exports to Australia

The proportion of wooden furniture imports from these three markets accounted for 22.9 per cent of the total value of wooden furniture imports into Australia.