To Lam starts State visit to Canada
VGP - General Secretary and President To Lam arrived in Ottawa on September 23 (local time), starting his State visit to Canada at the invitation of Governor-General of Canada Louise Arbour.
General Secretary and President To Lam arrives in Ottawa on September 23 (local time), starting his State visit to Canada - Photo: VNA
Viet Nam and Canada established diplomatic relations in 1973. In November 2017, the two countries established a framework for a Comprehensive Partnership, setting out fundamental principles to guide bilateral relations and focusing cooperation on political and diplomatic affairs, trade and investment, development cooperation, defence and security, culture and education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang noted that the two countries have built a solid foundation after more than half a century of diplomatic relations and nearly a decade of Comprehensive Partnership.
The two sides are seeking to make science and technology, innovation, AI, semiconductors, clean energy and human resources new drivers of bilateral cooperation.
In terms of trade, Viet Nam is currently Canada's leading trading partner in ASEAN and its sixth-largest trading partner among the 40 countries in the Indo-Pacific.
Meanwhile, Canada is Viet Nam's third-largest export market in the Americas and its seventh-largest export market. Bilateral trade has maintained strong growth momentum, reaching US$8.6 billion in 2025.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which both countries are parties, has been an important driver of Viet Nam-Canada trade cooperation in recent years, with two-way trade growing rapidly. Trade ties between Viet Nam and Canada have become a bright spot in bilateral trade cooperation among CPTPP members./.