Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen at the press event on Tuesday in Hà Nội to announce the new Canada-supported development projects in Việt Nam. — Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Canada in Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — Canada is proud of being a "strong, long-term, and reliable economic and development partner" to Việt Nam throughout the decades and will continue to play that role well into the next phase of bilateral ties, Canada's Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen said at an event held on Tuesday in Hà Nội, as part of his visit to Việt Nam.

"Việt Nam's economy and middle class have grown very quickly and are spreading out dramatically and growing even more diverse, and Canada recognises that it is one of the fastest growing economies in the world," he noted, pointing out the assistance of Canada in this journey.

Since the early 1990s, Canada has contributed close to US$1.8 billion in assistance to support Việt Nam's efforts to reduce poverty and inequality, through growth that works for everyone, particularly women and girls, and Canada pledged to "continue to be with Việt Nam and work with Việt Nam on its priorities and achieving sustainable and inclusive growth for everyone," the official stressed.

Minister Hussen also stated that Việt Nam has a "central place" in Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, which aims at promoting peace, stability, resilience and security, expanding trade, investment and supply chain resilience in the region.

As part of the strategy, Minister Hussen said Canada sets out CAD$40 million in funding that is set to further contribute to the development objectives, which will be done via projects such as improving the economic conditions of vulnerable groups through social impact investing, supporting gender-sensitive and climate-smart infrastructure through public-private partnerships in Việt Nam, supporting the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities, the socio-economic well being of ethnic minority women in the agricultural sector, enabling disadvantaged rural women working in unpaid care work to be able to participate in paid economical activities, and improving climate governance through high quality, inclusive, gender-responsive forestry carbon projects.

The official stressed that it's imperative to make sure that "women and girls can reach their full potential and that they can participate fully in the social and economic aspects of their countries."

Minister Hussen also took note of the people-to-people exchanges that played an important role in bilateral ties, with hundreds of thousands of people with Vietnamese heritage in Canada keen on seeing the two countries growing closer.

He said: "I want to particularly thank the Vietnamese Canadian community for really stepping above and beyond to ensure that our two countries grow even closer together, to strengthen people-to-people ties that include educational exchanges, cultural exchanges, win-win trade and investment that creates economic prosperity and jobs for both our peoples."

On the occasion, a book entitled "Lasting Legacy: 30 Years of Development Cooperation between Canada and Việt Nam" was also launched. Available in three languages – Vietnamese, English, and French, the book highlights the benefits and the works going into the growing relations between the two countries over three decades of development relations.

Earlier in the visit, Minister Hussen held talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Đặng Quốc Khánh, and Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Chí Dũng, with their discussions focusing on shared priorities between Việt Nam and Canada and the potentials to advance cooperation and engagement in mutual areas of interest including climate change, clean tech, trade and people-to-people ties.

While in Hà Nội, Minister Hussen also chaired a roundtable with Canada’s partners and key stakeholders in Việt Nam, to learn about Global Affairs Canada's initiatives in Việt Nam that leverage private sector funding to address social and development challenges and discuss ways to mobilise private sector resources and impact investment.— VNS