Full Policy Speech by General Secretary, President To Lam at Canadian Parliament

Honourable Members of the Parliament of Canada,

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

I am very pleased to visit the beautiful, vast, and vibrant country of Canada. From the moment I saw the rows of maple trees, I felt the warmth of the Canadian people, along with the spirit of strength and freedom in each maple leaf, so richly reflected in Canada's national anthem.

I am deeply honoured to address the Parliament of Canada, which represents the will and aspirations of the Canadian people. I warmly convey to the people of Canada the friendship of the country and people of Viet Nam, with the wish to further develop the relationship between the National Assembly of Viet Nam and the Parliament of Canada in an increasingly close manner, contributing to deepening bilateral relations and continuously nurturing and consolidating them through political will, a legal foundation, and the support of our peoples.

In her inaugural address in June, Governor General Louise Arbour shared the thought that "the richness of the bonds that can form between people who once believed they had nothing in common."

Sincere encounters bring people closer, help nations understand one another better, and enable us to realize that, amid differences, there are always goals we can pursue together.

In that spirit, today I would like to exchange views with you on the foundations of Viet Nam–Canada relations, Viet Nam's development path and opportunities for cooperation, as well as what our two countries can do to deliver tangible benefits to our peoples.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

Every nation is shaped through its own historical journey. Understanding history is one way for nations to understand and trust one another more.

Canada is a country that faces the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Arctic Oceans, a place where communities of different languages, cultures, and origins live together. Diversity, along with a spirit of harmony and mutual respect, has become Canada's enduring value and a source of strength today.

Canada has also left many marks on international life. The initiative of Foreign Minister Lester B. Pearson during the 1956 Suez Crisis contributed to the formation of the United Nations' first armed peacekeeping force.

The jurist John Peters Humphrey was tasked with preparing the preliminary draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ottawa is associated with the Convention banning anti-personnel mines; Montreal is associated with the protocol on protecting the ozone layer.

These contributions show that nations can help shape shared norms, safeguard peace, and work together to address global challenges.

Viet Nam's history is a journey of nation-building and national defense, struggles for independence and reunification, healing the wounds of war, and pursuing Renovation and opening up to the world. We understand deeply the sacred value of independence, self-reliance, and resilience.

We understand and cherish peace, uphold dialogue, and believe that trust is durable only when words are matched by deeds, commitments are implemented seriously, and cooperation is mutually beneficial.

From the earliest days of our independence, our President Ho Chi Minh set forth an open foreign policy spirit: "With regard to democratic countries, Viet Nam is ready to pursue a policy of openness and cooperation in all fields."

Over decades, that spirit has been inherited and developed into a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and resilience; peace, friendship, cooperation, and development; diversification and multilateralization of external relations; proactive international integration; and being a friend, a reliable partner, and a responsible member of the international community.

Viet Nam and Canada established diplomatic relations on 21 August 1973. Canada has accompanied Viet Nam on our path toward peace and reunification, supporting Viet Nam in agriculture, education, gender equality, and climate change response, among other areas. We have always appreciated that precious support.

Since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership in 2017, bilateral cooperation has continued to expand in the economy, science and technology, defense, peacekeeping, and people-to-people exchanges, achieving many positive results, including effective contributions from the Vietnamese community in Canada and Canadian friends who love Viet Nam.

We share with Prime Minister Mark Carney the view on the need to build strength from within and diversify external relations. From different circumstances and development paths, both Viet Nam and Canada share an interest in enhancing self-reliance, strengthening trusted relations, and safeguarding a peaceful and stable international environment. In an uncertain world, a relationship built on trust, responsibility, and shared long-term interests is itself a strategic value.

For Canada, Viet Nam is a market of more than 100 million people, a dynamic economy connected to important maritime routes and supply chains, and an active and proactive member of ASEAN.

Cooperating with Viet Nam opens additional opportunities for Canadian businesses to diversify markets and connect with Southeast Asia. For Viet Nam, Canada possesses knowledge, technology, a strong education system, strengths in energy and agriculture, and long-term capital.

Viet Nam appreciates Canada's attention to Southeast Asia, its regard for ASEAN's central role, and its desire to make a long-term contribution to the region.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

Amid the currents of our times, every country seeks to enhance adaptability and protect its development achievements. For Viet Nam, the answer is distilled from our national history and the practical experience of Renovation.

As a country that has paid in blood for peace, Viet Nam remains steadfast in its policy of independence, self-reliance, and resilience; cooperation and shared development; upholding righteousness, justice, and what is right on the basis of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

After more than 80 years since the founding of the nation and 40 years of Renovation, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, through the efforts of the entire nation and the valuable support of international friends, Viet Nam has become a middle-income developing country with a dynamic economy, among the world's 32 largest economies and one of the 15 countries with the leading trade scale.

In the journey to realize the goal of "a prosperous people, a strong country, democracy, equity, and civilization," the National Assembly of Viet Nam bears a special responsibility as the highest representative body of the people and the highest organ of state power.

Over 80 years since the first general election on January 6, 1946, the National Assembly has always accompanied the nation in safeguarding independence and reunification, pursuing Renovation, integration, and development.

We understand that historical foundations and past momentum are not sufficient to bring the country into the future, with the goal of becoming a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed high-income country by 2045. We therefore affirm the need to renew our development model toward self-reliance, creativity, humanity, sustainability, and integration; to contribute positively to peace, sustainable development, and the shared civilization of humankind; to place people at the center; to take science and technology, innovation, and high-quality human resources as the main driving forces; to move toward a knowledge-based economy, innovation, mastery of strategic technologies, and deeper participation in higher-value stages of global production and supply chains.

As a nation with more than 3,000 kilometers of coastline, Viet Nam also aspires to become a strong maritime nation, prosperous from the sea, linking economic development with the protection of ecosystems and the livelihoods of coastal people.

We wish to strengthen cooperation in marine science and contribute to global ocean and sea governance.

I believe that Viet Nam's new development journey will open further opportunities for cooperation with Canada. When Canada's knowledge, technology, and resources are combined with Viet Nam's market, abundant and high-quality workforce, and our determination to rise, we can jointly create quality products, services, and jobs. This is the foundation of shared interests for our bilateral relationship to advance further and more firmly.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

The decision by Viet Nam and Canada to upgrade our relations to a Strategic Partnership during this visit is the fruit of more than half a century of cooperation and friendship, reflecting our shared commitment to investing in the future.

The new framework should help our two countries understand each other more deeply, coordinate more effectively, and achieve results commensurate with our aspirations, results that businesses and people can truly feel. In that spirit, I would like to emphasize five major directions for bilateral ties.

First, consolidate political trust, elevate parliamentary cooperation as well as defense and security cooperation.

Our two countries should continue to maintain regular exchanges and contacts, especially at high levels; engage early and candidly on developments that affect each side's interests; and promptly translate the Strategic Partnership framework into an action program with clear priorities, focal points for implementation, and a clear roadmap.

Regular reviews of outcomes will help both sides address obstacles and ensure effective implementation of agreements. In this transition, the partnership between the National Assembly of Viet Nam and the Parliament of Canada carries special significance. We highly value cooperation between our legislative bodies, from leadership-level exchanges to the activities of committees and parliamentary friendship groups.

Members of Parliament can help transform commitments between our two countries into appropriate laws, feasible policies, and broad societal support, thereby promoting relations between localities, businesses, and peoples of both countries.

In the time ahead, both sides should strengthen exchanges between committees, friendship groups, and young parliamentarians; share legislative experience on the governance of artificial intelligence, data protection, workers' rights, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. We hope our legislative bodies will coordinate more closely at parliamentary forums, enhance oversight of agreement implementation, and contribute to building a transparent and predictable legal environment.

Defense and security cooperation helps strengthen trust between our two countries and should be deepened in line with each side's policies, needs, and capabilities. Our two countries can focus on training and capacity building for UN peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and maritime security; while also enhancing cooperation to prevent and combat transnational crime and cybercrime, and to protect the safety of our people.

Second, connect the strengths of our two countries to create new momentum for development.

Over the past decade, Viet Nam has been Canada's largest trading partner within ASEAN. Two-way trade has grown, yet the potential remains significant.

I believe Viet Nam's development potential will create even more opportunities for Canadian investors and corporations to expand investment and business activities.

Both sides should make more effective use of the CPTPP, helping businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, access markets, meet standards, and participate more deeply in each other's supply chains. We should promote trade growth that is sustainable and balances interests.

Viet Nam wishes to expand opportunities for Canadian goods, services, and technology, especially agricultural products, food, clean technology, and education. Viet Nam supports the early conclusion of negotiations for the ASEAN–Canada Free Trade Agreement, toward a substantive, fair, and mutually beneficial agreement.

We consider improving policy transparency and stability, and protecting the lawful rights and interests of investors, as conditions for attracting long-term capital.

Science and technology should become an important pillar of this new relationship.

Our two countries should connect universities, research institutes, and businesses, prioritizing human resource training and joint research on applied artificial intelligence, clean technology, and marine technology. Agricultural cooperation should be linked with processing, preservation, climate adaptation, and increasing product value.

We wish to expand cooperation in energy and green finance, encourage Canadian institutions to explore opportunities at Viet Nam's International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, and jointly develop sustainable infrastructure projects.

Third, nurture the bonds of affection between our peoples.

Both sides should create more favorable conditions for tourism, study, research, and cultural and artistic exchanges; expand training linkages and exchanges of lecturers and students; and promote cooperation between educational institutions on mutual recognition of credits and degrees in accordance with each country's regulations. Attention should be given to vocational training, connecting alumni, and creating more opportunities for younger generations to understand one another, work together, and innovate.

We appreciate the contributions of the Vietnamese-Canadian community to Canada's development and diversity, and we value the goodwill and assistance that Canadians have offered to generations of Vietnamese who came here to build new lives.

Each individual has a unique journey, but attachment to family, culture, and roots can continue to nourish meaningful connections between our two countries. We hope this friendship will be naturally carried forward across generations through understanding and mutual respect.

Fourth, strengthen coordination in regional and global mechanisms.

Similarities in interests and a shared commitment to multilateralism provide a basis for coordination. Viet Nam welcomes Canada's long-term commitment to ASEAN, from becoming a Dialogue Partner in 1977 to a Strategic Partner in 2023.

Toward the 50th founding anniversary of ASEAN–Canada relations in 2027, Viet Nam stands ready to contribute actively to deeper Canadian engagement with Southeast Asia, while also strengthening coordination with Canada and partners on issues of common concern on the agendas of the G7 and G20.

The room for coordination between our two countries spans the United Nations, ASEAN-led mechanisms, the Francophonie, the CPTPP, and APEC, especially in the digital economy, sustainable development, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

From Canada's experience serving as CPTPP Chair in 2024, to Viet Nam assuming this role in 2026, and toward APEC 2027 hosted by Viet Nam, we hope to work with Canada and other members to propose practical initiatives on economic connectivity, green transition, and the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in regional trade. Viet Nam regards APEC 2027 as a major responsibility and hopes to work with members to identify new drivers of cooperation for the Asia-Pacific.

Fifth, jointly contribute to strengthening the rules-based international order.

In the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean, strategic competition unfolds alongside deep economic interdependence and supply chains. The region needs an open and inclusive architecture in which no country is forced to choose sides amid competition among major powers.

ASEAN's central role must be respected and reinforced. International law must be applied consistently, protecting the lawful rights and interests of all countries, big or small; sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected; the Charter of the United Nations must be upheld; and the threat or use of force must be avoided in international relations. Viet Nam and Canada share an interest in maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea; settling disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Our two countries, together with partners, can promote preventive diplomacy, early risk identification, the maintenance of communication channels, enhanced transparency, and confidence-building to prevent incidents and manage differences.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

Canada is a country "from sea to sea." Viet Nam stretches along the shores of the East Sea, where our people have long looked to the sea for trade and connection with the world. The Pacific Ocean opens space for our two countries to come closer together.

Our President Ho Chi Minh once said: "Though mountains and rivers are thousands of miles apart, we are one family, for within the four seas all are brothers."

On the journey toward becoming a developed nation, Viet Nam hopes for Canada's companionship. Viet Nam hopes that, when looking toward Southeast Asia, Canada will think of Viet Nam as a natural, close, and reliable partner; that together we will become strong maritime nations; and that we will build enduring links between North America and Southeast Asia, between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, between development and innovation, and between peace and prosperity.

The world will continue to change. I hope you, honourable Members of Parliament, will continue to walk alongside us, so that today's vision is followed by tomorrow's actions and results. Viet Nam stands ready to work with Canada to build a deep and substantive Strategic Partnership that delivers tangible benefits for the peoples of our two countries and contributes to the international community.

Thank you very much for listening.

Thank you very much!

Merci beaucoup!"./.