Official welcome ceremony for top leader To Lam in Ottawa

Following the welcome ceremony, both leaders chaired a press conference.

Arbour described To Lam's visit as a reflection of the close and enduring ties between the two countries, adding that although Canada and Viet Nam are separated by an ocean, they are connected by enduring friendship nurtured over generations.

The relationship is grounded in a shared commitment to peace, dialogue and cooperation. It has grown strongly across a wide range of areas, underpinned by the complementary strengths and converging interests of the two countries, she noted.

Canada and Viet Nam are also united by a shared commitment to a stable, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. This friendship is further reflected in the Vietnamese community in Canada, whose vitality and contributions have enriched Canadian society, added the host.

The Governor General affirmed that the Vietnamese leader's visit provides an opportunity for the two countries to acknowledge the achievements made so far and look toward the future.

In a world undergoing profound changes, cooperation remains the best path for the two countries to overcome the challenges facing their peoples, advance prosperity and contribute to lasting stability, stated the host.

To, who is on a two-day State visit to Canada, reiterated that Viet Nam treasures its relations with the North America country.

More than half a century after the establishment of diplomatic relations and nearly a decade since the Comprehensive Partnership framework was established in November 2017, Viet Nam-Canada relations have made important strides, with political trust increasingly strengthened and economic, trade and investment, defense and security, science and technology, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges expanding in both scope and depth, he added.

The guest expressed his expectation that the visit would open a new chapter in Viet Nam-Canada relations well as reflect their determinations to building a long-term, stable and substantive relationship that could serve as a model of cooperation between two countries on opposite shores of the Pacific.

Building on the foundation cultivated by generations of leaders and peoples of the two countries, together with the strong political determination of both sides and increasingly intertwined interests, the bilateral relations will enter a new phase of development that is more strategic, comprehensive, substantive and effective, stated To Lam./.