Canada’s Prime Minister begins official visit to Vietnam

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The visit takes place at a time when Vietnam – Canada relations are growing robustly and producing mutual benefits across sectors.

The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1973 and began exchange of high-ranking delegations since 1994. 

In September 2014, the Vietnamese and Canadian ministers of foreign affairs signed a letter of intent on boosting bilateral relations. In July 2017, their first political consultation at deputy-foreign-minister level was held in Canada. 

Vietnam is currently Canada’s biggest trade partner in Southeast Asia and a prioritised market in Canada's Global Markets Action Plan. Bilateral trade in recent years grew about 20 – 25 percent on average, hitting US$4.1 billion in 2016 and US$2.34 billion in the first eight months of 2017.