Australia currently provides around 500 Australian Development Scholarships for Vietnamese students at tertiary institutions in Australia. In keeping with Vietnam's development needs, this program is producing graduates in fields including economics and management. Many of these graduates are government officials, people who will make a significant contribution to the quality of public sector management in Vietnam. Future leaders in the private sector are also among those awarded scholarships, thus supporting Vietnam's move towards a market economy. An associated priority in Australia's development assistance to Vietnam is in the field of governance.
Effective governance means many things.
It means having a fair and efficient public service, having a strong rule of law, and having policies that encourage investment. Effective governance basically provides the essential conditions for economic growth. This six-month program is a capacity building exercise which will provide the necessary training and expertise for Vietnam to participate effectively in WTO accession negotiations and to make binding commitments on services trade liberalisation. It is designed to address a fundamental gap that Vietnam's Ministry of Trade has identified in expertise and experience in the services trade. The program will include seminars, training courses and advice from expert consultants on the process of services liberalisation, and will provide of necessary materials for services negotiations.