Hanoi (VNA), March 4 -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh 's official visit to Australia is expected to create new momentum for the bilateral relations, including their trade ties.

The PM left Hanoi on March 4 morning for the ASEAN- Australia Special Summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations, and official visits to Australia and New Zealand from March 5 - 11.

Over the past years, trade between Vietnam and Australia has grown strongly thanks to free trade agreements ( FTAs ). The General Department of Vietnam Customs reported that the two-way trade stood at nearly 14 billion USD last year, with Vietnam's exports reaching 5.2 billion USD.

With the figures, the two countries were the 10th big...