Australia-Vietnam: Then & Now Photographic Exhibition
HANOI – 25 February 2008 – To celebrate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Vietnam, the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, HE Mr Bill Tweddell, will open a photographic exhibition at 10am on 26 February 2008. Entitled “Australia – Vietnam: Then & Now” the exhibition will be on display at Ly Thai To Gardens from 26 February till 7 March.
The exhibition has been curated by staff at the Australian Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and will include images spanning the 35 years of the relationship. After calling for submissions over the last 6 months, the Embassy and Consulate General received photographs from both Vietnamese and Australians. The Embassy also secured more than 30 official photographs from historical archives for the display.
Ambassador Tweddell said: “The photographs in this exhibition are significant for their portrayal of many significant official moments, such as the signing of the first Trade Agreement between Australia and Vietnam in 1974; and equally for the more personal moments, such as a Vietnamese football fan supporting the Socceroos during their game against Thailand in Hanoi in 2007. The exhibition itself will make a valuable contribution to the collections of important historical information on the bilateral relationship.”
”The longstanding and expanding relationship between Australia and Vietnam has been maintained continuously since February 1973. Since those early days, the bilateral relationship has grown to encompass cooperation across an incredibly broad range of areas such as education, development assistance, trade and investment, regional and multilateral political and economic isues, immigration, agricultural science, law enforcement, and defence - to name just a few,” Mr Tweddell said today.
The Australian Embassy in Hanoi will also host a function for invited guests to celebrate the 35th Anniversary at the Hanoi Opera House on 26 February. The formal ceremonies will be followed by a collaborative performance by Australian soprano singer, Annalisa Kerrigan, and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. “The collaboration between Annalisa Kerrigan and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra is an excellent example of the strength of our cultural ties,” said Ambassador Tweddell. The Embassy is pleased to have been able to organise these events with the generous support of our Australian business sponsors: ANZ, BHP Billiton, RMIT Vietnam, Santos and CPA Australia.”
This function will coincide with a similar function in Melbourne, Australia, and attended by the Australian Deputy Prime Minster and Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon Ms Julia Gillard MP, and the Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education and Training, HE Professor Nguyen Thien Nhan.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Damien Coke
Third Secretary
Tel. 04-8317755 Ext. 346, Mobile: 0903433155
Email: [email protected]
Ms Dinh Thi Viet Anh
Public Affairs and Cultural Relations Manager
Tel. 04-8317755 Ext. 302, Mobile: 0903423440
Email: [email protected]