Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday morning shared a ‘banh mi’ breakfast with Australian-Vietnamese celebrity chef Luke Nguyen at a local street food restaurant, before beginning a busy day of meetings for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.

Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull shared a 'banh mi' breakfast with Australian-Vietnamese celebrity chef Luke Nguyen at a local street food restaurant. — Photos: Australian Embassy

Prime Minister Turnbull said “Vietnamese food is enjoyed every day by Australians, which is just one of the many positive contributions of the nearly 300,000 Vietnamese who call Australia home.  But this is the first time I hve ever tried ‘banh mi’! I love the fresh flavours of Vietnamese food.”

Mr Turnbull also said it was fantastic to see Australian agricultural exports featured in such iconic Vietnamese dishes.

“Viet Nam is Australia’s second largest export market for wheat and beef - wheat is predominantly used to make wheat noodles, and the majority of ‘banh mi’ that Vietnamese enjoy everyday,” he said.

Viet Nam also imports Australian malt and barley for its growing beer industry. In 2016, Viet Nam imported 446.2 million AU$ of wheat, 94.9 million AU$ of barley, and 37.5 million AU$ of beef and veal from Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull taking a selfie with local residents

Australian-Vietnamese celebrity chef Luke Nguyen is pleased that Vietnamese people increasingly have the opportunity to enjoy Australia’s premium food and beverages. “As the Taste of Australia Ambassador in Viet Nam,  I am excited to work with the Australian Government to bring more high-quality Australian food and beverages, including our famed beef, wine, wheat and dairy, to Viet Nam,” he said.

(Source: VNS/ DA NANG Today)