Viet Nam and Canada established diplomatic relations in 1973. In November 2017, the two countries established a framework for a Comprehensive Partnership, setting out fundamental principles to guide bilateral relations and focusing cooperation on political and diplomatic affairs, trade and investment, development cooperation, defence and security, culture and education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
During a meeting with Canadian Ambassador to Viet Nam James Nickel in July, Politburo member and Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung affirmed that Viet Nam attaches great importance to its Comprehensive Partnership with Canada and is ready to work with Canada to expand and strengthen substantive cooperation, with a view to upgrading the bilateral framework at an early date in line with the level of political trust, cooperation potential and the interests of the two peoples. For its part, Canada regards Viet Nam as an important partner in ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific, with an increasingly prominent role and position on the international stage.
Through sustained efforts and the determination of the leaders and peoples of both countries, bilateral relations have achieved a number of positive results in recent years, with economic ties standing out as a particular bright spot. Viet Nam is currently Canada’s leading trading partner in ASEAN and its sixth-largest trading partner among the 40 countries in the Indo-Pacific.
Meanwhile, Canada is Viet Nam’s third-largest export partner in the Americas and its seventh-largest export market. Bilateral trade has maintained strong growth, reaching 8.6 billion USD in 2025.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which both countries are parties, has been an important driver of Viet Nam-Canada trade cooperation in recent years, with two-way trade growing rapidly. Trade ties between Viet Nam and Canada have become a bright spot in bilateral trade cooperation among CPTPP members.
Despite these encouraging achievements, Viet Nam and Canada still have considerable room to make their bilateral relations more substantive and effective. The two sides are working to promote cooperation in areas where they have strong and highly complementary capabilities, including clean technology, information technology, artificial intelligence and digital services, as well as education and training. Defence and security cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and local-level cooperation also offer new opportunities for development.
The two sides are placing greater emphasis on strengthening links between localities in the two countries, including Ha Tinh and Langley in British Columbia, and Ho Chi Minh City and Toronto in Ontario. Initiatives by Vietnamese local leaders to promote trade and investment in Canada are also continuing.
Alongside bilateral cooperation, Viet Nam and Canada are strengthening close coordination at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the International Organisation of La Francophonie
Against the backdrop of profound global changes, Viet Nam and Canada share a number of common views, including the importance they attach to rules-based trade, supply chain diversification, stronger multilateral cooperation and efforts to maintain a peaceful and stable international environment.
The more than 50-year-old relationship between Viet Nam and Canada is a valuable shared asset that the peoples of both countries continue to cherish, nurture and pass on to future generations. Both countries are working to realise their development aspirations while overcoming common global challenges. The development of Viet Nam-Canada relations brings practical benefits to both countries and contributes to peace, stability and sustainable cooperation around the world.
