Anthony Albanese slammed for enjoying a beer at Vietnam while Australia grapples with cost-of-living
Anthony Albanese has been criticized for being photographed drinking a glass of beer during his trip to Vietnam.
The prime minister drank a local brew while on official government business in Vietnam, and had a banh mi sandwich with it.
Australia and Vietnam are on track. (Australian trained chef) Sam Tran took me to a local spot in Hanoi today to try some Vietnamese classics,” Albanian wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
But hundreds of posters among his tweets failed to see the funny side and wondered how serious he is about tackling issues at home.
It marks his latest publicity stunt that has sparked backlash after Mr Albanese was accused of enjoying a beer at the Australian Open in January and a game of tennis in March.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pictured (center) holding a banh mi sandwich and looking at a keg of beer
The prime minister was pictured drinking a local brew while on official government business in Vietnam
‘Wow, what a shock. Albo always drinking with a beer in hand instead of solving problems here,” one social media user wrote over the weekend.
“Remember when he complained about Scomo going missing. At least Scomo didn’t prioritize booze over work.’
Mr Albanese had ripped Mr Morrison out in December 2021, promising he would not disappear from the country during the most pressing times if he were prime minister.
Mr Morrison famously sparked a reaction after a trip to Hawaii in 2019 during the devastating wildfires.
Social media users were quick to criticize Mr Albanese for deciding to take a trip to Vietnam, while Aussies struggled with cost-of-living pressures at home.
No masks, no leadership, all photo shoots. You’re just pathetic,” one wrote.
“Your HECS index (rise) has just destroyed so many lives. You’re not a good man right now.”
A second called Mr. Albanese a “little selfie that fanboy took on the beers.” No worries about the cost of living, or actually doing his job.
“A complete disgrace to the position.”
“This is more than a joke,” one commenter wrote. Why do Australians tolerate this? It’s all parties and selfies. Meaningless at best, embarrassing.’
Aside from the beer and banh mi, Mr. Albanese’s visit served a serious purpose.
“Ninety-nine percent of Vietnamese beer is made with Australian barley, and many banh mi baguettes are made with Australian wheat,” he tweeted.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with his partner Jodie Haydon) travels abroad so often that he is nicknamed ‘Airbus Albo’
Another Twitter user compared (pictured) Mr Albanese unfavorably to Scott Morrison
Many Twitter users (pictured) were unimpressed by Mr Albanese’s latest photo opportunity
Albanian will meet with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, President Vo Van Thuong, National Assembly Speaker Vuong Dinh Hue and Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on Sunday.
China’s growing power in the region will likely be at the top of their agenda.
“Vietnam, of course, shares a border with China to the north,” the prime minister said.
“The talks will no doubt be about that relationship, but also about how we and Vietnam (share) an opinion about the South China Sea and that the (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea should be upheld and enforced.
“We must respect the sovereignty of the nations in the region and even around the world. We share that opinion.’
The trip to Vietnam is far from the first time Albanian has been criticized for his behavior amid huge domestic troubles.
He was in January criticized for drinking beer at the Australian for three days Open tennis with his partner Jodie – after spending just four hours in then-violence-ravaged Alice Springs.
His brief visit to the troubled Northern Territory town when it was caught in the middle of a spree of juvenile delinquency led to him being dubbed the ‘FIFO (fly in, fly out) PM’.
Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who previously served as Deputy Mayor of Alice Springs, was furious.
“It is an insult and a kick in the guts to the people of Alice Springs to see the Prime Minister spend more time relaxing and drinking beer at the tennis than what he did on the ground in Alice Springs,” she said at the time.
Tennis was also at the center of an internet pile criticizing Mr Albanese in March.
The prime minister was criticized by Senator Jacinta Price for ‘drinking beer’. Mr. Albanese is pictured during the tennis semifinal
The Prime Minister shared a photo of his early morning hit at tennis to promote Tennis Australia’s centenary, but the photo was used to attack him
Mr Albanese was accused of not speaking about a group of men giving the Nazi salute (pictured) in Melbourne. But in fact he had already done that
A photo of him playing tennis had critics comparing him unfavorably to former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s sometimes odd media stunts.
Mr Albanese shared a photo of an early morning tennis hit to promote Tennis ACT’s centenary and then went to Parliament for a full day.
Although the photo was taken at an official event where the prime minister was at work, Twitter users used it to attack him and harshly accuse him of not giving the Nazi salute at a protest in Melbourne the previous weekend.
Mr Albanese had appeared on Nova radio that morning urging all Australians to condemn the confrontational scenes that took place in front of Victoria’s state parliament.