A former Coal Point man has received a rare diplomatic honour.
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Craig Chittick, 49, Australia's outgoing ambassador to Vietnam, has been presented with a Friendship Order of the Vietnamese State, at a function in Hanoi.
The Vietnamese government lauded Mr Chittick for his "active and significant contributions to developing the Vietnam-Australia relationship in a more trustworthy, practical and effective manner".
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the ambassador had advanced bilateral ties "in diverse areas, not only in politics, diplomacy, economy, national defence-security but also e-government and personnel training".
He also spoke highly of Australia's provision of official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam.
Mr Chittick said he visited 35 cities and provinces during his tenure and was proud to contribute to Vietnam's success.
Mr Chittick graduated from Toronto High School in 1987.
He went on to study economics at Sydney University.
He was appointed Australia's ambassador to Vietnam in 2016, having previously served as Australia's Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur, from 2009 to 2012.
In 2002, Mr Chittick received the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his service and support provided to key Australian authorities and agencies in response to the Bali bombings.
