National

Detained Aussie tests relationship with Asian partner

By Jacob Shteyman

Nov 16, 2026

Le Minh Hung and Anthony Albanese — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese discussed a detained Australian with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung. -AAP Image

More than 50 years on from the end of the Vietnam war, Australia's relationship with its former adversary has rarely been warmer.

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But despite growing trade volumes and stronger diplomatic ties, the case of detained Australian citizen Tran Hiep is an awkward reminder that the socialist nation's human rights record is less than stellar.Â

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised consular issues, including that of Mr Hiep, in his first meeting with Vietnamese counterpart Le Minh Hung on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit on Sunday.

Mr Albanese congratulated Mr Hung on his appointment and the pair exchanged views on issues affection regional peace, stability and prosperity, according to a readout of the meeting distributed by the Australian side.

The leaders discussed deepening co-operation under the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was signed in March 2024.

Since then, two-way trade has grown from $26.2 billion in 2023 to a record $30 billion in 2025.

Mr Albanese and Vietnamese President To Lam agreed to take the relationship even further in a visit to Australia in August.

But Mr Hiep, a democracy activist from Melbourne, remains in Vietnamese detention after going missing in Cambodia in September.

Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security said Mr Hiep and two other men, including Norwegian citizen Nguyen Duc Thuan, were detained while allegedly attempting to cross illegally from Cambodia into Vietnam.

Vietnamese authorities said the men admitted to being members of Viet Tan, a pro-democracy diaspora political party which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in Vietnam.

But Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said it appeared the men had not entered Vietnam and had instead been abducted from Cambodia.

In recent years, Vietnamese authorities have stepped up transnational repression of dissidents outside their borders, including by pressuring neighbouring governments to return Vietnamese citizens who have fled out of fear of arrest, Human Rights Watch says.

Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for comment.

On Monday, Mr Albanese will continue his engagement with Southeast Asian trading partners, launching the ASEAN-Australia summit alongside Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in Manila.