Ottawa (VNA) – Governor General of Canada Louise Arbour presided over an official welcome ceremony for General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam, who are on a state visit to Canada, on the morning of September 24 (local time).
The ceremony took place at the Rideau Hall in Ottawa with the highest honours reserved for heads of state.
After that, General Secretary and President Lam and Governor General Arbour delivered statements to the press.
Welcoming the leader and delegation of Vietnam, Governor General Arbour noted the state visit demonstrates the close ties between the two countries.
She emphasised that despite being separated by an ocean, Canada and Vietnam are bound by an enduring friendship forged across generations – a relationship built on a shared commitment to peace, dialogue, and cooperation.
The partnership has grown robustly across multiple areas, driven by complementary strengths and aligned national interests. Both are bound by a shared commitment to a stable, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. This friendship is further exemplified by the vibrant Vietnamese community in Canada, whose contributions continue to enrich Canadian society, she noted.
The host affirmed that the visit provides an opportunity for both sides to reflect on past achievements while looking toward the future.
In a profoundly changing world, cooperation remains the best path to jointly overcome the challenges facing the two peoples, drive prosperity, and contribute to long-term stability, according to the Governor General.
Speaking to the press, General Secretary and President Lam underscored that Vietnam attaches particular importance to its relations with Canada. More than half a century since the establishment of diplomatic ties and nearly a decade since the two countries adopted the Comprehensive Partnership framework in November 2017, bilateral relations have made important strides. Political trust has continued to be strengthened while cooperation in the economy, trade, investment, defence – security, science – technology, education – training, and people-to-people exchanges has grown in an increasingly intensive and extensive manner.
The top leader attributed these achievements partly to the active contributions by the Vietnamese community in Canada. On the occasion, he extended his warm greetings and sincere thanks to the community, wishing its members good health and success and calling on them to continue to serve as a bridge of friendship between the two countries.
He voiced his hope that the visit will open a new chapter in Vietnam–Canada relations, reflecting a new level of political trust, increasingly close alignment of interests and visions, as well as the determination of both countries to build a long-term, stable and substantive relationship and make it a model of cooperation between two countries on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean.
General Secretary and President Lam expressed his belief that with the foundation nurtured by generations of leaders and people of the two countries, the strong political determination of both sides, and increasingly intertwined interests, bilateral relations will enter a new phase of development that is more strategic, comprehensive, substantive and effective.
Taking place at a time when Vietnam–Canada ties are benefiting from favourable conditions to enter a new, broader and more substantive phase of cooperation, the visit is expected to help translate cooperation opportunities and potential accumulated over the years into concrete orientations and programmes of action, bringing practical benefits to the peoples of both countries./.
