Ms Robyn Mudie recently completed her term as Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam, marking an important milestone in her nearly 30-year diplomatic relationship with the country.

Australia’s Commission for International Agricultural Research (Commission) and Policy Advisory Council (Council) travelled to Vietnam in June to learn about the country’s agricultural development priorities and explore research opportunities with Australia.

ACIAR is supporting research to gather information on how agrichemicals are being used in Laos and Vietnam to develop safer, more effective farming practices.

Pork is the most-consumed meat in Vietnam. With ACIAR support, the country is developing and evaluating market-based approaches to improving food safety that are scalable for informal and formal retailers alike.

Vietnam may not come to mind when thinking about the international mango trade, but it’s among the world’s 15 largest producers of the fruit. Mangoes are a significant contributor to the nation’s economy.

Around 492 million people depend at least partially on small-scale fisheries for their livelihoods. This includes 60 million employed in the sector plus an additional 53 million reliant on them for subsistence. Yet the sector is often overlooked and undervalued.

For Vice Director of Vietnam’s Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute Dr Phan Viet Ha, leadership capacity is a central tenet that Vietnam needs in order to confront future agricultural and food security challenges adeptly.

Could drawing a picture of your spouse or trying to remember what they are wearing, or mapping out what you do in 24 hours and role-playing, work as strategies to improve gender equity? Researchers on a project supported by ACIAR and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have demonstrated that these activities can do just that.