Advancing trade and investment to foster green growth and accelerate the energy transition
The Australia Vietnam Policy Institute (AVPI), together with the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) and the Institute of Vietnam and World Economy (IVAWE) co-hosted a roundtable on 4 September 2025 at the AVPI Front Door, RMIT University, Melbourne. The session was facilitated by Ms Louise Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Aurecon, Australia’s Southeast Asia Business Champion for Vietnam, and a member of the AVPI’s Advisory Board.
The roundtable brought together leaders from government, academia, and industry to consider how bilateral trade and investment can accelerate the energy transition and support green growth. Participants noted that bilateral trade and investment are gaining momentum; however, more substantial policy alignment and greater market certainty will be needed to ensure that sustainability objectives are effectively embedded in this growth. Across the dialogue, renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean technology, and waste-to-energy emerged as the sectors offering the most significant potential for collaboration, with Australian expertise well matched to Vietnam’s priorities.
Key Takeaways
- Bilateral flows are growing, but more substantial policy alignment and market certainty are needed to embed green growth objectives.
- Renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste-to-energy, and clean technology offer the greatest potential for collaboration, with Australian expertise well-matched to Vietnam’s priorities.
- Achieving net-zero will require investment in storage, decentralised systems, digitalisation, and upskilling of the workforce.
- Universities and policy institutes have a central role in driving innovation, skills development, and trusted bilateral engagement.
- Both countries bring comparative advantages: Australia in technology, resources, and education, and Vietnam in growth momentum and manufacturing capacity, which can be harnessed to accelerate sustainable development.
