Australian FM Marise Payne holds talks with Vietnamese leaders

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Tuesday held talks with Vietnamese leaders to discuss cooperation with the southeast Asian country during her four-nation tour to the region.

Payne met with her Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son and the two ministers discussed topics including cooperation in trade and the economy with a focus on the recovery from COVID-19.

Payne also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday morning.

Chinh and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison met on the sideline of the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland earlier this month.

Australia and Vietnam signed a strategic partnership in 2018, a framework for the two countries to strengthen the security, defence and economic cooperation.

Prior to the stop in Vietnam, Payne visited Malaysia and Cambodia.

She will travel to Indonesia where she concludes her trip.