Unlocking the Potential of Melbourne's Vietnamese Diaspora

The City of Melbourne is delighted to host this event to foster exchange and collaboration within the Vietnamese diaspora and alumni communities.

Vietnamese Australians continue to make an enormous contribution to every level of Australian society. With more than 81,000 Vietnam-born persons in Victoria, Melbourne is home to Australia’s second largest ‘VOSSIE’ community. Vietnamese students love to study here too with close to 8,000 currently calling Melbourne home.

Join us at historic Melbourne Town Hall for drinks and canapés as we celebrate and connect with Melbourne’s Vietnamese diaspora to unlock the potential of this group of business owners, academics, entrepreneurs, innovators, students and university alumni.

Our speakers Ly Tran, Professor, Deakin University, and Layton Pike, Chair, Australia Vietnam Leadership Dialogue and Chief Global Advisor RMIT University. Ly and Layton will outline opportunities for cross-border trade and business, where points of mutual innovation meet, why Vietnamese students are coming to Melbourne, what they are studying, and what they do post-study.

When is it?
15th June, 2023

Where is it?
Supper Room, Level 3, Melbourne Town Hall

Who should attend? 
This event is FREE and is open to Vietnamese business communities, entrepreneurs, innovators, university alumni, and students with an interest in business and international relations, or anyone with an interest in fostering connections with Vietnam.

Speaker Bio

Professor Ly Tran

Deakin University

Ly Tran is a Professor in the School of Education, Deakin University, Australia. Her research focuses on international students across the ELICOS, school, VET and HE sectors, international student graduate employability, the education-migration nexus, student mobilities and public diplomacy, geopolitics of international education and staff professional learning in international education. Ly won the Inaugural Melbourne Asia Game Changer Award and the Inaugural Shining Star Achievement in Research Award in the Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards for her work in international education and student mobilities. She was named as one of Vietnam’s 50 Most Influential Women 2019 by Forbes Vietnam (Research-Education Category).

Layton Pike

Chair, Australia Vietnam Dialogue and Executive Director (Interim) - International, RMIT University

Mr Pike has been Chief Global Adviser and Director Global Strategy for RMIT University since February 2019. In this role, he is responsible for advising on global strategy and relationships. RMIT is a global university of technology, design and enterprise. Mr Pike has led engagement for RMIT in Vietnam, Australia’s largest offshore University campus and Australia’s biggest investment in Vietnam. In Australia, Mr Pike has led the development of the Australia Vietnam Policy Institute, which is Australia's first policy institute focused on its relationship with Vietnam, acting as a partnered public policy hub centred around engagement, collaboration and impact.