Welcoming the Vietnamese leader and his entourage at the airport were Canadian government officials and Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Jim Nichkel. On the Vietnamese side, Ambassador to Canada Pham Quang Vinh and staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy were present.

The visit by General Secretary and President To Lam marks a historic milestone, as he is the first leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam to make an official visit to Canada since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973. The visit also comes at a time when Vietnam-Canada relations are seeing favourable conditions for entering a new phase of deeper and more substantive cooperation.

More than half a century after establishing diplomatic relations and nearly a decade after the two countries launched their Comprehensive Partnership, Vietnam and Canada have built an increasingly solid foundation for bilateral ties.

Political trust has been strengthened, economic, trade and investment cooperation has grown dynamically, and cooperation in education and training, science and technology, defence and security, as well as people-to-people exchanges, has become increasingly substantive.

In particular, the two sides are working to make areas such as science and technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy and human resource development new drivers of bilateral relations.

The two countries have complementary strengths, with Vietnam entering a new development era and identifying science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and deeper international integration as important drivers for achieving its two centenary goals in 2030 and 2045, while Canada is promoting market diversification and stronger engagement with the Indo-Pacific region.

Vietnam and Canada also share many common views on international law, free trade, as well as maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Building on their positive bilateral relations and significant achievements across areas of cooperation, General Secretary and President To Lam’s visit is expected to provide strong political impetus for Vietnam-Canada ties to develop in a more substantive, balanced and effective manner, in line with the potential, strengths and needs of both countries.

The visit is also set to open a more strategic and comprehensive phase in bilateral relations, contributing positively to peace and stability in the region and the world at large.

The State visit to Canada follows General Secretary and President To Lam’s working trip to the United States, where he attended the 81st UN General Assembly (UNGA 81) and held a series of bilateral activities.

Significant milestones in Vietnam-Canada Comprehensive Partnership

VOV.VN - Over the past half-century, Vietnam and Canada have built an extensive cooperation network spanning politics, economics, and defence to education, Official Development Assistance, and people-to-people exchanges, laying the foundation for the continued development of bilateral ties.