12/08/2026
Australian Alumni Business Network first delegation trip at Vietnam-Australia Tech Connect Forum in Sydney.
On 10 August, nearly 1,000 government leaders, researchers, investors and executives packed the University of Technology Sydney for the Vietnam–Australia Tech Connect Forum 2026 — a centrepiece of General Secretary and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, His Excellency, Mr Tô Lâm’s state visit. His message was blunt: science, technology, innovation and human capital are no longer the supporting cast of this relationship. They’re the main event. The General Secretary and President Tô Lâm called for a deeper, more strategic partnership in tech and innovation, and invited high-quality Australian capital into green finance, digital infrastructure, and data and innovation centres.
Here’s why the timing matters. Two-way trade has already doubled in five years, passing USD 14 billion in 2025. Both governments are now targeting USD 20 billion — and, just as importantly, a doubling of bilateral investment. But investment hasn’t kept pace with trade: Australia’s total investment stock in Vietnam only just crossed USD 2 billion by mid-2026. Trade did the easy work. Capital is the harder half — and it’s still waiting to be unlocked.
Closing that gap won’t happen through communiqués. It happens company by company, sector by sector — which is exactly the terrain Australian Alumni Business Network (AABN) works in.
AABN was on the ground at Tech Connect, with six Advisory Board members spending the day in direct conversation with Australian companies, investors and agencies exploring Vietnam. We were also honoured to welcome Ms Kate Wallace, Australian Consul-General in Ho Chi Minh City, to our booth — a visit that meant a great deal to us as a sign of the Consulate team’s continued support:
Our Advisory Board members joining the delegation including:
→ Nguyen Ba Diep, Co-Founder & Senior VP, MoMo
→ Nguyen Nhue Ha, Managing Director, Advanced Partners
→ Nguyen Thi Anh Phuong, CEO, Tona Syntegra Solar
→ Binh Le, Founder & CEO, ASART Deal Advisory
→ Dang Thi Thanh Van, Founder & CEO, Savvycom
→ Phung Van D**g, Director, AIT Vietnam
→ Nguyen Hong Giang, General Manager, Zenwood
Seven leaders, four sectors, one message: Vietnam’s bankable opportunities are ready now — in fintech, digital transformation, sustainable agriculture, M&A and investment advisory, green energy and industrial technology, and beyond.
Closing an investment gap like this takes more than capital — it takes confidence. And confidence comes from people who know the market from the inside: Australian-educated business leaders who have built and run companies in Vietnam, who understand its regulations, its partners and its pace of change first-hand. That’s what alumni networks like ours bring to the table — a web of relationships that extends well beyond any single organisation, giving Australian investors and companies a trusted way in and a steadier path to grow alongside Vietnamese partners.
The future is very exciting and we are looking forward to continuing building it together!
