Hanoi (VNA) – The upcoming state visit to Canada by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam will create significant political momentum for bilateral relations, Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Jim Nickel has said.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the top Vietnamese leader’s visit at the invitation of Canadian Governor General Louise Arbour, the ambassador noted that, more than 50 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, this is the first time Canada has welcomed a Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President.
According to him, for his country, Vietnam is not only a long-standing friend but also one of its most important partners. Since the two countries established their comprehensive partnership framework in 2017, bilateral ties have developed remarkably across a wide range of areas, from diplomacy and trade to security and defence.
Canada therefore regards the visit as an opportunity to further advance bilateral relations, reflecting their substantive nature and enormous potential. He expressed his belief that the high-level engagements during the trip would lay a firm foundation for closer coordination between Vietnam and Canada on global and regional issues.
The diplomat said Canada sees opportunities for breakthroughs across several strategic pillars. In trade and investment, Vietnam is currently its largest trading partner in ASEAN, with bilateral trade growing strongly and continuously over the past five years. Canada is particularly interested in the Vietnam International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, while encouraging Vietnamese investment in its energy sector to help ensure sustainable energy security.
Canada is ready to share experience and technology in power grids and renewable energy, particularly nuclear technology, to support Vietnam’s successful energy transition, he stressed.
In addition, Canada has strengths in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and semiconductors – areas that Vietnam has prioritised. With the Southeast Asian nation’s rapidly developing aviation industry, Canadian aerospace and satellite manufacturing companies are also seeking opportunities for deeper cooperation.
Nickel said Canada will continue to provide more scholarships for doctoral researchers and promote cooperation between research institutes and universities in the two countries to train a high-quality workforce ready for the digital economy.
He said Canada regards Vietnam as a like-minded partner in building a resilient economy together.
Canada is ready to share its experience in regulatory reform and in developing robust legal frameworks for financial institutions and the judicial system. With Vietnam’s political stability, together with transparency in governance and institutional reform, the country will become a magnet for high-quality investment capital from Canada and around the world, the ambassador said.
Canada also highly values Vietnam’s role as an important “gateway” to ASEAN and the broader Indo-Pacific region. He said the two countries share common values regarding a rules-based trading system and sustainable supply chains.
Vietnam’s hosting of APEC 2027 on Phu Quoc Island presents an excellent opportunity to demonstrate its leadership on key issues such as digital transformation and food security. Canada fully supports the initiative and will draw on Vietnam’s experience in chairing APEC as it prepares to host the forum in 2029.
In addition, within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and negotiations on the ASEAN - Canada Free Trade Agreement (ACAFTA), Vietnam has played an active and supportive role, he said. Such multilateral coordination not only helps reduce the vulnerability of individual economies to global fluctuations but also promotes shared prosperity across the region.
The diplomat expressed his belief that, with their shared strategic outlook, Canada and Vietnam will achieve even greater accomplishments together across international forums./.
