Party General Secretary and State President To Lam is welcomed by Canadian officials and the Vietnamese community at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport. Photo: VNA

The visit follows the top Vietnamese leader’s attendance at the High-Level General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) and bilateral activities in the US. It is the first visit to Canada by the leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973. General Secretary and President Lam is the first state guest hosted by Canadian Governor General Louise Arbour this year.

This trip reflects the importance both sides attach to the Comprehensive Partnership and is expected to provide fresh impetus for elevating bilateral ties to a higher level.

Comprehensive Partnership shows fruitful development

Vietnam and Canada established diplomatic relations on August 21, 1973, and set up their Comprehensive Partnership in November 2017 during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official visit to Vietnam.

The joint statement establishing the Comprehensive Partnership set out key principles for bilateral relations and outlined directions and measures to advance cooperation in seven areas: politics – diplomacy, trade and investment, development cooperation, defence - security, culture and education, science - technology, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Comprehensive Partnership laid an important foundation for deepening friendship and broad-based cooperation as the two countries’ shared interests expanded at the bilateral, regional and international levels.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang said that after more than five decades of diplomatic relations and nearly a decade of implementing the Comprehensive Partnership, the two countries have built an increasingly solid foundation for their ties.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam is welcomed by Canadian officials and the Vietnamese community at Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport. Photo: VNA

Political trust has continued to grow through regular high-level exchanges, including meetings between General Secretary and President To Lam and PM Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the 19th Francophonie Summit in France on October 5, 2024; President Luong Cuong and PM Trudeau at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru, on November 15, 2024; and National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man and Speaker of the Canadian Senate Raymonde Gagne at the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Switzerland on July 30, 2025.

Canada has also sent several senior officials to Vietnam, including Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai in January 2026; Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu and the Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Canada to the European Union John Hannaford in February in February, 2026.

The two sides have maintained regular cooperation mechanisms, including the Deputy Foreign Ministerial–level Political Consultation, the Joint Economic Committee and the Defence Policy Dialogue, while closely coordinating at multilateral forums such as the UN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), ASEAN and the Francophonie.

Economic and trade ties remain a highlight

Economic and trade ties have emerged as a highlight of Vietnam’s trade cooperation with member nations of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The CPTPP, which took effect in January 2019, marked a new phase in economic, trade and investment relations between Vietnam and Canada, with two-way trade increasing by 170%.

Vietnam is now Canada’s biggest trading partner in ASEAN, accounting for 44% of Canada’s total imports from the region, and its sixth-largest trading partner among 40 Indo-Pacific countries. Meanwhile, Canada is the seventh-largest importer of Vietnamese goods. Two-way trade reached 8.6 billion USD in 2025 and 4.92 billion USD in the first six months of 2026, up 27.3% year-on-year.

Canada is Vietnam’s 14th-largest foreign investor among 143 countries and territories, with 294 valid projects worth over 4.9 billion USD in registered FDI. In 2025, Canadian investors registered 21 new projects totaling 34 million USD.

Canada has also continued to provide official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam. Since 1990, its ODA commitments have totalled nearly 2 billion USD, focusing on poverty reduction, women’s and girls’ rights, agricultural development, capacity building, support for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and food safety.

Since the early 2000s, Canada has been an early partner in supporting Vietnam’s legal reform and law enforcement capacity.

Education and training is another key area of bilateral cooperation, with the number of Vietnamese students in Canada rising from 14,000 in 2017 to more than 20,000 at present, the fastest growth among ASEAN countries.

The Vietnamese community in Canada numbers about 300,000, making it the fifth-largest non-European-origin community in the country. It is concentrated mainly in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta and has contributed to Canada’s socio-economic development and cultural diversity.

Creating momentum for more substantive, effective relations

Against the backdrop of positive bilateral ties and progress across areas of cooperation, the state visit by General Secretary and President Lam is expected to provide fresh political momentum for deepening Vietnam-Canada relations in a more substantive, balanced and effective manner, in line with both countries’ potential, strengths and needs.

Deputy FM Giang said the trip will contribute to further deepening Vietnam-Canada relations while opening a more strategic and comprehensive development phase between the two countries and contributing positively to peace and stability in the region and the world.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Vinh Quang said the visit is of particular significance, helping advance the foreign policy set out at the Communist Party of Vietnam’s14th National Congress, deepen substantive, effective and sustainable cooperation with important partners, and elevate Vietnam-Canada relations in line with the two countries’ long-term interests.

Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Jim Nickel described the visit as symbolic and a special historic milestone in bilateral relations. In more than 50 years of diplomatic ties.

He said the visit would provide fresh political momentum, noting that Canada regards Vietnam as both a long-standing friend and an important partner. Since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership in 2017, bilateral cooperation has expanded significantly in diplomacy, trade, security and defence. The visit is therefore seen as an opportunity to further strengthen ties, tap their potential and lay a solid foundation for closer coordination on regional and global issues.

Looking ahead, the diplomat said both countries are committed to achieving net-zero emissions. With 82% of its electricity generated from green energy sources, Canada is ready to share its experience and technology in power grids, renewable energy and, particularly, nuclear technology to support Vietnam’s energy transition.

According to Giang, Vietnam and Canada share views on international law, free trade, and regional peace and stability, while their strengths are complementary.

Vietnam is entering a new development phase, with science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and deeper international integration identified as key drivers towards its two centenary goals - becoming a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed, high-income country by 2045, he said.

Meanwhile, Canada is promoting market diversification and strengthening engagement with the Indo-Pacific region, Giang went on./.