Close cooperation between Vietnam and Canada is a natural development.

Over the past 50 years, with the determination of the leaders and people of the two countries, the Vietnam - Canada relationship has been deepening, contributing to the development and prosperity of both countries, Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Vinh Quang affirmed in response to TG&VN on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (August 21, 1973 - August 21, 2023).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the expanded G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 20, 2023. (Source: VGP)

TG&VN: On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Canada, could you please tell us about the main achievements in the friendly cooperation between the two countries over the past 50 years?

Ambassador Pham Vinh Quang: The friendly and cooperative relationship between Canada and Vietnam has been continuously strengthened and developed since it was officially established on August 21, 1973, with extremely important milestones in all fields, notably the exchange of high-level delegations, contacts and meetings between senior leaders of the two countries on the sidelines of international multilateral conferences and forums, which take place quite frequently with many substantive contents.

These include the visit to Vietnam by Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien in 1994, on which occasion Canada opened its Embassy office in Hanoi, and the visit to Canada by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in 2005, when the two sides established a framework for "comprehensive, stable and long-term cooperation", or on the occasion of the visit to Vietnam by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November 2017, the two sides established a framework for a Comprehensive Partnership.

Since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership, the two countries have had basic principles guiding bilateral relations. The directions and measures to promote cooperation are focused on 7 areas: Politics - diplomacy, trade - investment, development cooperation, defense - security, culture - education, science - technology and people-to-people exchange. In particular, special attention is paid to the fields of trade - investment and education and training.

Vietnam has emerged as Canada's largest trading partner in ASEAN, with two-way trade consistently growing in double digits each year, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, reaching $7 billion in 2022 (according to Canadian statistics, this figure has surpassed $10 billion due to the inclusion of transit goods through the United States).

By the end of 2022, Canada ranked 14th out of 130 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 242 projects and a total registered capital of 4.82 billion USD. Canada is also an attractive destination for Vietnamese investors. Among the 20 countries and territories receiving investment from Vietnam, Canada is leading with a registered capital of more than 150.2 million USD, accounting for 47.5% of Vietnam's total investment abroad.

Since 1990, Canada has always been among the top countries in terms of development assistance to Vietnam with a total ODA value of about 2 billion Canadian dollars (about 1.4 billion USD). Regarding education and training, there were about 21,000 Vietnamese students studying at all levels in Canada before the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, the number of Vietnamese students has decreased, but Vietnam still ranks 3rd among countries with the most international students in Canada.

People-to-people and youth exchanges have become an important foundation for the sustainable development of relations between the two countries. Many localities and regions of Vietnam have received valuable support from Canada in capital and technical assistance projects related to rural agriculture and climate change adaptation.

From the results achieved, how does the Ambassador assess the potential of the Vietnam - Canada Comprehensive Partnership and the measures to further promote the strengths of each side, contributing to promoting this relationship to further develop in the coming time?

With the potential and desire of both countries, the Vietnam - Canada relationship still has a lot of potential for further development.

Within the framework of the Comprehensive Partnership as well as at international multilateral organizations and forums, Vietnam and Canada always promote compliance with the United Nations Charter and principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The two countries share common interests and are committed to maintaining peace, stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region, supporting the maintenance of a rules-based order in seas and oceans, including the East Sea, ensuring freedom of navigation, aviation, trade and the use of oceans for peaceful purposes, and protecting the marine environment and ecosystems.

With that fundamental foundation, along with Vietnam's strategic position in Southeast Asia and in the context of Canada's announcement of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, closer cooperation between the two countries is a natural development, meeting the needs and interests of each country as well as making a positive contribution to solving regional and global issues.

Vietnam’s growing economy with 100 million consumers and low labor costs can become a gateway for Canadian businesses to invest and expand their business to the Asia-Pacific region. On the other hand, Canada can provide advanced technology, expertise and products to support Vietnam’s development in various fields, especially in infrastructure development, green economy, clean energy, while Vietnamese companies can explore investment opportunities in Canada’s technology, natural resources and real estate sectors.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly in Hanoi during her official visit to Vietnam, April 2022.

The Vietnamese community in Canada has about 300,000 people, the 4th largest community in Canada (after India, China and the Philippines), has developed over many generations and is increasingly becoming a valuable resource for socio-economic development in Vietnam.

Through the Vietnamese community in Canada, cultural and educational exchange programs, academic collaborations, and cultural and people-to-people events will help promote mutual understanding and closer ties between the two countries. With its rich history, diverse culture and natural beauty, Vietnam is a popular tourist destination for Canada. Promoting tourism between the two countries can contribute to economic growth and cultural exchange.

Collaboration in research and innovation can lead to breakthroughs in many different fields. Joint projects, technology sharing and scientific collaboration can benefit both countries and contribute to global knowledge advancement. As both countries are concerned with environmental issues and climate change, cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, conservation and sustainable development can benefit both sides.

To further promote the Vietnam-Canada relationship in the coming time, the two countries need to coordinate and implement many measures, focusing on key areas. In terms of politics and diplomacy, the two sides need to maintain and expand cooperation mechanisms, annual or periodic exchanges at all levels to identify areas of common interest, challenges and cooperation priorities.

In the immediate future, the two sides need to soon organize the 3rd Political Consultation (at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers), the 2nd Meeting of the Joint Economic Committee (at the level of Deputy Ministers of Trade) and the Annual Defense Policy Dialogue (at the level of Deputy Ministers). The two sides also need to further strengthen parliamentary diplomatic relations through exchanges of delegations at all levels as well as practical activities of Friendship Parliamentarians' Groups established in the two countries' National Assemblies.

In the field of economy, trade and development cooperation, the two sides need to continue to make the most of existing trade cooperation frameworks, especially the CPTPP, to facilitate the flow of goods and services, reduce trade barriers and tariffs; create incentives to encourage mutual investment in areas where both sides have strengths, such as technology transfer, taking advantage of abundant human resources and natural resources.

The two countries need to focus on increasing cooperation in research projects, especially in new and trendy fields such as renewable energy, artificial intelligence, waste management, pollution control and biodiversity conservation, etc., in which it is necessary to encourage more proactive and positive participation from localities and the private economic sector.

In the fields of culture - education, science - technology and people-to-people exchange, the two sides need to further promote the establishment and expansion of cultural exchange events and festivals between the two countries to promote mutual understanding, connect people to people, promote tourism through tourism promotion activities and connect tourism businesses of the two countries.

At the same time, strengthen support and mobilize the Vietnamese community to continue to promote its role as a bridge to promote relations between the two countries; encourage and motivate people to turn to the Fatherland through meaningful activities such as Spring Homeland, Summer Camp for Overseas Vietnamese Youth, Overseas Vietnamese Delegation visiting Truong Sa island district, etc.; have favorable mechanisms to attract overseas Vietnamese with knowledge, qualifications and high skills to return to contribute to the country's development.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Vinh Quang speaks at the ceremony to hand over the appointment decision of the Chief Representative of Vietnam abroad for the 2023-2026 term at the Presidential Palace on February 24. (Photo: Nguyen Hong/TGVN)

It is known that Vietnam and Canada have been coordinating to organize many activities towards the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. Could you please tell us some of the key activities organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada in 2023 to celebrate this important milestone?

To practically celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada has coordinated with agencies, organizations and individuals in Canada and Vietnam to develop plans and implement many diverse activities in both scale and form, focusing on three main areas.

The first is a series of ceremonial events, attracting attention and enhancing understanding of politicians and public opinion in Canada about the friendly cooperative relationship between the two countries, in which the highlight will be the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of Canada-Vietnam diplomatic relations, scheduled to be held in the capital Ottawa in September 2023 with the participation of representatives of Canadian ministries, sectors, localities, foreign diplomatic missions and the Vietnamese community in Canada.

In addition, the Embassy will coordinate with domestic authorities and organizations and associations in the Vietnamese community in Canada to organize "Vietnamese Cultural Day in Canada" in several major cities in Canada to introduce Vietnam's economic, cultural, social achievements and national cultural identity.

Second, the economic and trade sector is identified as one of the focuses in Canada-Vietnam foreign relations. Therefore, the Embassy has been coordinating with Vietnamese ministries, branches, localities and Canadian partners to organize seminars and talks on investment and business cooperation in Vietnam, specifically the Canada-Vietnam Economic, Trade and Investment Relations Seminar organized by the International Trade Committee of the Canadian House of Commons (scheduled for November 2023).

Investment and business forum organized by Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in Toronto (July 2023); a series of activities in 4 provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, British Colombia to evaluate 5 years of implementing CPTPP, how to exploit the agreement and introduce investment and business opportunities in Vietnam in the context of green economy and energy transition; develop and broadcast reports on Vietnamese goods in Canada (in coordination with the Resident Office of Vietnam News Agency in Canada) and organize Vietnamese Goods Week in Canada...

Third, people-to-people exchange activities, cultural and tourism promotion are focused on in various forms such as participating in the Ottawa Travel and Tourism Exhibition 2023 (April 2023); Montreal Tourism and Resort Fair (October 2023); International Student Cultural Festival at Algonquin College (May 2023); Food and Culture Festival hosted by the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the participation of diplomatic delegations in Ottawa (October 2023)...

With the above activities organized throughout 2023, it is hoped that the event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam - Canada diplomatic relations will leave a good impression in Canada, increase the understanding and interest of Canadian public opinion towards Vietnam, contributing to promoting the relationship between the two countries to continue to develop to new heights in the future.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hop-tac-chat-che-giua-viet-nam-canada-la-su-phat-trien-tu-nhien-238672.html