The planned steps were discussed during a phone call on August 22 between Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand.

Trung said Vietnam places importance on its relationship with Canada and values the country’s role and voice in regional and international affairs.

Vietnam is ready to work with Canada to deepen practical cooperation and move toward an early upgrade of the Comprehensive Partnership, in line with the level of political trust, cooperation potential and interests of the two peoples, he told his Canadian counterpart.

He called for more exchanges at different levels and through various channels, with priority given to high-level visits to help translate the leaders’ shared goal of advancing bilateral ties into concrete steps.

Linking the two economies, supply chains

Alongside political and diplomatic engagement, Vietnam proposed deeper economic and supply-chain links between Vietnam, ASEAN, Canada and North America.

The two countries have room to expand cooperation as both seek to diversify markets and strengthen connections with regional production and supply networks.

Trung also called for broader cooperation in science and technology, innovation, security, defence, education and high-quality human resources, while continuing coordination at regional and international forums.

The proposals build on recent exchanges, including a July 21 phone call between Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and a meeting between the two foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the Philippines on July 22.

Canada sees Vietnam as an important ASEAN partner

Minister Anand said Vietnam is an important Canadian partner in ASEAN and the wider Indo-Pacific region.

She shared Trung’s view on strengthening coordination, promoting high-level visits and taking bilateral ties to a higher level.

She also agreed that the two sides should expand cooperation in areas of complementary strengths and needs, while encouraging ministries, local authorities and businesses to strengthen connections and propose concrete projects and initiatives.

The two foreign ministers agreed to maintain regular exchanges between their ministries, helping strengthen coordination and make bilateral cooperation more substantive and effective.

By combining efforts to strengthen high-level exchanges with closer economic and supply-chain links, Vietnam and Canada are laying the groundwork for an early upgrade of their bilateral framework and a broader phase of practical cooperation.

Science, technology positioned as new pillar of Vietnam-Canada partnership

VOV.VN - Science, technology, and innovation are poised to become a new pillar of Vietnam-Canada relations as both nations move toward upgrading bilateral ties, key experts and officials underscored at a recent joint meeting in Ottawa.