General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the 19th Francophonie Summit in France on October 5, 2024. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The state visit to Canada by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and President Tô Lâm on September 24-25 is expected to create fresh momentum for more substantive and closer Việt Nam-Canada relations, opening a new phase in the two countries’ Comprehensive Partnership.

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 Việt Nam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973. General Secretary and President Lâm 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

Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam.

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 Đặng Hoàng 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.

Political trust has continued to grow through regular high-level exchanges, including meetings between General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and PM Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the 19th Francophonie Summit in France on October 5, 2024; President Lương Cường and PM Trudeau at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru, on November 15, 2024; and National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn 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 Việt Nam, 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 Việt Nam’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 Việt Nam and Canada, with two-way trade increasing by 170 per cent.

Việt Nam is now Canada’s biggest trading partner in ASEAN, accounting for 44 per cent 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 US$8.6 billion in 2025 and $4.92 billion in the first six months of 2026, up 27.3 per cent year-on-year.

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

Canada has also continued to provide official development assistance (ODA) to Việt Nam. Since 1990, its ODA commitments have totalled nearly $2 billion, 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 Việt Nam’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 Lâm is expected to provide fresh political momentum for deepening Việt Nam-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 Việt Nam-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 Phạm Vinh Quang said the visit is of particular significance, helping advance the foreign policy set out at the Communist Party of Việt Nam’s14th National Congress, deepen substantive, effective and sustainable cooperation with important partners, and elevate Việt Nam-Canada relations in line with the two countries’ long-term interests.

Canadian Ambassador to Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam 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 per cent 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 Việt Nam’s energy transition.

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

Việt Nam 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. — VNA/VNS