A significant export market for Victoria.
Southeast Asia is a dynamic and diverse region that has frequently outperformed global economic growth rates.
Victoria has prioritised strengthening its relationship with Southeast Asia and has four Victorian Government Trade and Investment (VGTI) offices located in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
Southeast Asia Trade and Investment Snapshot
The Australia‑ASEAN Special Summit held in Melbourne in March 2024 is an important opportunity to mark the 50th anniversary of Australia‑ASEAN relations. Our offices in‑market and teams on the ground in Victoria also work closely with leading businesses in the region to support their plans to expand their operations to Victoria.
Explore Victoria's current trade and investment opportunities and key areas of collaboration with Southeast Asia.
Market snapshot
Victoria’s key goods exported to Southeast Asia include fruit and nuts, milk and dairy, wheat, meat and petroleum.
Increasing demand is expected for services tied to innovation, healthcare and education. Victorian exporters are well placed to capitalise on opportunities in these sectors.
Victorian exporters are also expected to benefit from Southeast Asia’s increasing middle class, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. The region’s rapid urbanisation creates opportunity for Victorian exporters as demand for infrastructure, professional services and connectivity services increases. The number of middle-class households in Southeast Asia is predicted to quadruple by 2030, which will raise demand for premium agricultural goods, innovative services, international travel, healthcare and education and training.
Southeast Asia Insights Winter 2023
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress Melbourne, 19-22 September 2023
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress is a unique opportunity to connect with ground-breaking entrepreneurs, investors, government and community leaders as they come together to find new market solutions to global challenges.
A series of high-impact sessions will take place over four days in Melbourne, and spotlight 5 significant challenges facing humanity while showcasing how they are being addressed through technology and game-changing solutions.
People are expected to attend from all over the world, including a significant delegation from Southeast Asia.
To find out more, please contact Michael Baird, Senior Investment Director - Southeast Asia.
Meeting future leaders of the Victoria-Vietnam relationship
Joint events were held in Melbourne and Hanoi to announce the 20 delegates of the 2023 Australia-Vietnam Leadership Dialogue.
Global Victoria is proud to be the headline sponsor of the 2023 and 2024 Dialogues, which bring together 20 delegates from Australia and Vietnam to strengthen bilateral links and contribute to the development of both nations.
This year’s Dialogue takes place as both countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and consider the theme of ‘Evolution: the Next 50 Years’ alongside the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Quality Education, Gender Equality, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
This year’s Dialogue will take place in the Mekong Delta while next year’s Dialogue will be in Melbourne.
Learn more about how you can get involved by connecting with our Senior Regional Manager - Southeast Asia, Laura Burke,
Industry comes together to share insights at the Southeast Asia Export Forum
Industry, government and the private sector came together in August to share insights and learnings about exporting to Southeast Asia at Hume City Council. The Forum provided various perspectives and practical suggestions to a diverse and energetic audience that included manufacturers, growers and startups.
Topics covered included:
- how Global Victoria supports Victorian exporters
- government resources and grants available to businesses
- international logistics, customs, payments and current issues
- intellectual property – protecting your product from being copied and protecting yourself from legal action
- Melbourne’s North Food Group (MNFG) and how they assist exporters.
A highlight of the day was the practical insights shared by businesses with extensive experience exporting to Southeast Asia, including how they navigated the challenges they faced.
Key industries of opportunity for Victorian exporters
Education, training and skills
Victoria is a key education partner for Southeast Asia, and as the region pushes to standardise vocational qualifications, more exciting opportunities are emerging for Victorian education providers.
Larger Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia are actively exploring ways to engage internationally to upskill and educate their workforces.
Food and agriculture
Thanks to the growing demand for premium agricultural products and processed foods, there are many opportunities for Victorian exporters to engage across Southeast Asian markets.
Victoria’s food, beverage and agriculture industry has a global reputation for supplying high quality, clean, traceable and safe food products, placing it in a favourable position to meet Southeast Asia's growing demand for premium meat and dairy products, temperate fruit and nuts, wheat, and processed and packaged food items.
Professional services
The scale and speed of Southeast Asia’s development has opened up significant opportunities for Victorian firms to provide innovative services and products across a range of traditional and emerging sectors, including infrastructure, digital technology, water, health and medtech, liveability and renewable energy.
Victoria is well placed to partner with Southeast Asian nations focusing on innovation due to its strong professional services sector, culture of innovation and research expertise, as well as Victorian Government investments.
Tourism
Victoria is a top destination for Southeast Asian tourists and this is only set to increase over the next ten years. As Southeast Asia’s middle class continues to grow, more consumers will want to explore the world and have capacity for international leisure travel.
Digital services
Southeast Asia is home to many tech unicorn start-ups with a value of over US$1 billion.
Southeast Asia’s digital transformation has rapidly accelerated and is reshaping almost every aspect of business and social lives, providing further opportunity for Victorian exporters.
The sector offers enormous opportunities for Victorian companies, many of which are enabling small businesses in Southeast Asia to accelerate their adoption of digital tools and compete with larger firms.