Ambassador Bill Tweddell
Launch Ceremony
35th Anniversary – Logo Competition

Industrial Fine Arts University, Hanoi
10 October 2007

Mr Bui Quang Hai, Acting Rector of the Industrial Fine Arts University, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to thank you, Mr Hai, your teaching staff, and all the students here today for welcoming us to this launch the Australia-Vietnam 35th Anniversary Logo Competition.

This is an important occasion for us. Australia values enormously the friendship we have developed with Vietnam.

Over the 35 years since diplomatic relations were established between Canberra and Hanoi on 26 February 1973 - making Australia one of the first countries to take this step - our relationship has grown increasingly more diverse and substantial.

Our relationship now encompasses not just the early emphasis on trade, education and development assistance, but also defence, security and law enforcement cooperation; immigration matters; combating the smuggling of people and drugs, and money laundering; sport, culture and information, as well as frank discussion of sensitive areas such as regional security and human rights.

And that is by no means an exhaustive list of the areas in which Australia and Vietnam now cooperate closely – to the benefit of the people of both our countries.

To celebrate the momentous of 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, will hold a nation-wide competition asking students and others to develop a logo to mark this important occasion. The winning logo will be used to badge all Embassy and Consulate activities throughout 2008.

My colleagues and I will judge the competition entries and choose the final winner.

I believe the challenge facing participants in this logo competition is to capture the essence of a bilateral relationship which has three essential elements:

* A long and positive history.
* Increasing breadth, depth and vitality. 
* An enormously promising future.

The winning logo will be, in other words, a symbol not only of the last 35 years, or the strength and breadth of the relationship, but which also incorporates the promise of the future - something which reflects the confidence, shared I believe by both Australians and Vietnamese, that our friendship will continue to grow and become stronger.

The winner of the competition will be awarded 10 million dong and a plaque with an engraving of the winning design. There will also be supplementary prizes and my colleagues Damien and An will provide more details in a few minutes.

This competition, and the manner in which we celebrate next year’s 35th anniversary, will be a celebration of the rich people-to-people links between our two countries.

As you probably already know, a significant part of Australia’s population have Vietnamese heritage – almost 200,000 people – and these people, along with their families, continue to make a significant contribution to Australia’s economic, social and cultural development.

Equally, there are many Australians who have contributed to the development and success of Vietnam.

It is fair to say that without the contributions of Vietnamese people, Australia would not be what it is today.

I like to think also, that contributions by Australians and the Australian Government have played their small part in helping Vietnam reach the position it is in today.

Australia and Vietnam have been friends for a long time, we have learned from each other, helped to build each others’ nations, and we will continue to head into the future as close friends.

It’s a big ask – a big requirement - for one logo to express all that meaning, and all that history, and all that promise – but I hope that the people here today – our friends – will do your best to develop such a thoughtful and artistic design.

Thank you again for welcoming me to you university today.