Hanoi (VNA) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will pay an officialvisit to Vietnam on November 8 and 9, which is expected to mark an importantmilestone in bilateral ties and help foster bilateral cooperation moreproductively in all fields.

Thevisit takes place at a time when Vietnam – Canada relations are growingrobustly and producing mutual benefits across sectors.

Thetwo countries established diplomatic ties in 1973 and began exchange ofhigh-ranking delegations since 1994.

In September 2014, the Vietnamese and Canadian ministers of foreign affairssigned a letter of intent on boosting bilateral relations. In July 2017, theirfirst political consultation at deputy-foreign-minister level was held inCanada. Exchange of high-ranking officials between the sides has beenincreased, as has cooperation in politics-diplomacy, economics-trade, andeducation-training.

Vietnamis currently Canada’s biggest trade partner in Southeast Asia and a prioritisedmarket in Canada's Global Markets Action Plan. Bilateral trade in recent yearsgrew about 20 – 25 percent on average, hitting 4.1 billion USD in 2016 and 2.34billion USD in the first eight months of 2017. Vietnam mainly exported toCanada machines, electronic devices, woodwork products, apparel, and footwear,while importing from the country fertilizers, soybeans and oily nuts, machines,and spare parts. The two countries aim to lift bilateral trade to 10 billion USDin the next 10 years.

With149 projects worth 5.28 billion USD, Canada is ranked 14th out of112 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Major Canadian-fundedprojects in Vietnam include the 4.2 billion USD Ho Tram tourism complex in BaRia – Vung Tau, a 220 million USD hospital in Hai Duong, and a 74.4 million USDwind power project in Ninh Thuan.

Since1990, Canada has to date provided 800 million USD in official developmentassistance for Vietnam to help the country carry out economic reform, alleviatepoverty, boost agriculture, and protect the environment. Total value of validprojects using ODA from Canada amounts to more than 60 million CAD.    

Thenumber of Vietnamese students in Canada doubled in the past 10 years to 5,000,surpassing the figures of their peers from other ASEAN member states. Canada ishosting approximately 250,000 Vietnamese expatriates.

Interms of security – defence, the two countries have focused on delegationexchanges, cooperation at international and regional forums, military andEnglish training, anti-terrorism, humanitarian aid and immigration.

Collaborationbetween localities, such as Ha Tinh and Langley, Ho Chi Minh City and Toronto,and Da Nang and Vancouver, is also a highlight in bilateral relations.-VNA