Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Foreign Affairs Department, Nguyen Tuan,spoke highly of the bilateral relations between Vietnamand Canada which have continued to develop positively over recent years.
High-level meetings have been strengthened between the leaders of the countries along with many exchange activities, he said, adding that the bilateral cooperation is focussed on the fields of politics-diplomacy, economics-trade, education-training, and development assistance.
In particular, on the occasion of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official visit to Vietnam in November 2017, the two countries issued a joint statement on the establishment of their comprehensive partnership.
Vietnam is currently Canada’s biggest trade partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with bilateral trade reaching nearly US$5 billion in 2017. Canada ranks 14th in the list of 112 nations and territories investing in Vietnam with 149 projects worth a total of US$4.1 billion.
In his speech, Canadian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Kyle Nunas emphasised that there have been many important achievements in the relationship between Vietnam and Canada, especially in the areas of trade, education-training, culture, and tourism.
Reciprocal visits made by the leaders of the two countries not only showed the good friendship but also opened new cooperation opportunities for Canada and Vietnam in many fields, he added.
