MELBOURNE — A series of trade and investment meetings between representatives of the Vietnam International Financial Centre in HCM City (VIFC) and officials from Victoria state, along with major Australian investment funds, pension funds and financial institutions, took place in Melbourne on Tuesday.

The discussions were hosted by Vantage Point Asset Management (VPAM), a leading asset management firm operating in Singapore and Australia and a founding development partner of the VIFC.

Attendees included Senator Colin Brooks, a Victorian Government minister overseeing industry, advanced manufacturing, and creative industries; VPAM CEO Colin Mullins; VIFC CEO Richard D. McClellan; Phạm Hồng Điệp, Chairman of SHINEC and a pioneer in developing eco-industrial parks in Việt Nam; Trần Bá Phúc, Chairman of the Vietnamese Business Association in Australia; along with senior VPAM executives, members of the Vietnamese business community, and major Australian investors interested in opportunities in Việt Nam.

During the sessions, representatives of Australian funds and financial institutions described Việt Nam as one of Asia’s most attractive emerging markets, citing steady economic growth, a young population and rising demand for modern financial services. The establishment of the VIFC was seen as opening new avenues for international investors.

Mullins noted that Việt Nam’s story is not solely about growth but also about reform, highlighting the Government's efforts to modernise market infrastructure, improve access to foreign capital and strengthen regulatory frameworks.

Global capital is increasingly seeking markets benefiting from supply chain restructuring, export expansion and industrial upgrading – factors that position Việt Nam strongly in logistics, infrastructure, energy and financial services.

Sustained reforms are driving Việt Nam’s rapid growth, along with a competitive workforce and a bank-led financial system. The country is increasingly viewed as an attractive destination for investors, emerging as a high-potential market capable of absorbing substantial capital flows from global pension funds, insurance companies and investment funds.

Australia, meanwhile, is considered a potential bridge for capital and expertise, particularly in fund management, infrastructure, agriculture, education and institutional investment, enabling it to play a meaningful role in Việt Nam’s development story.

During the final question-and-answer session, investors and business representatives from both sides expanded their networks, exchanged market information and expressed interest in maintaining dialogue with a view to launching concrete cooperation programmes.

Speaking to VNA correspondents on the sidelines of the events, Senator Brooks stressed that Victoria places high importance on relations with Việt Nam, noting that the country ranks among Australia’s top ten trading partners. He expressed his desire to deepen ties between Victoria and Vietnamese localities and welcomed the VIFC as an important channel for promoting investment cooperation.

The senator also pledged that the Victorian Government would continue sending senior delegations to Việt Nam to strengthen collaboration and support local development through investment.

From an investor’s perspective, Mullins said the VPAM strongly supports both Việt Nam and the VIFC. As a founding partner, the firm has committed to investing US$10 billion over the next five years in the centre and in Việt Nam, focusing on real estate, agriculture and fixed-income products.

He added that the VIFC signals to the world that Việt Nam is serious about opening its economy to international investment. Developing domestic capital markets will be crucial to sustaining growth, facilitating a transition from an export-led economy to a stronger domestic one and attracting additional global capital.

Meanwhile, McClellan described the financial centre as a “key” mechanism for unlocking global capital flows into Việt Nam and expressed optimism about its future cooperation with Australian funds and financial institutions.

On Wednesday, the VPAM, VIFC and corporate representatives are expected to hold further meetings with Australia’s Future Fund on government bond yield curve development and the establishment of a national wealth fund. They will also meet with the Plenary Group on infrastructure bonds and with major institutional investors to discuss infrastructure investment and Việt Nam’s macro-economic outlook. — VNA/VNS