Participants at the seminar. Photo: VNA

The Canada-Vietnam Friendship Society (CVFS) on January 28 organized a virtual seminar on the nations’ 50 years of diplomatic and cooperative ties (1973-2023), attracting the participation of Canadian scholars, international friends, and Vietnamese expatriates.

The seminar was part of the activities to mark the upcoming 93rd anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 – 2023), according to VNA.

The key speaker, Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Cao Phong, delivered an overview of the relations, which are growing more comprehensively, effectively, stably, and sustainably in terms of bilateral, regional, and international aspects.

He listed factors that have helped the relationship thrive, which included the nation’s commitment to maintaining international peace, stability, and security; and compliance with the UN Charter and principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Cao Phong speaks at the event. Photo: VNA

The sides share common interests for peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region; support the maintenance of a rules-based order in the seas and oceans, including the Bien Dong Sea; work to ensure the freedom of navigation, aviation, trade and the use of the oceans for peaceful purposes, and for the protection of the marine environment and ecosystems.

The two countries support ASEAN centrality; multifaceted people-to-people exchanges; the protection and promotion of human rights following national constitutions and international commitments; and the peaceful settlement of disputes in the Bien Dong Sea, including full respect for diplomatic and legal processes in accordance with international law.

Steve Rutchinski, a member of the CVFS, shared that, although the relationship between Canada and Vietnam was officially established in 1973, the Canadian people have stood by the Vietnamese people for more than 70 years and this relationship has been forged through Vietnam's national liberation struggle.

Currently, every year more than 100,000 Canadians visit Vietnam to learn about the country's culture of 4,000 years of history. Thousands of young Canadians have come to Vietnam to work and contribute to the Vietnamese economy since Doi Moi (Renewal) was launched in the mid-1980s. On this basis, the relations between the peoples of the two countries is growing deeper and becoming more intimate.

He also unveiled the society’s plan to hold a series of virtual forums to foster the Vietnam-Canada ties this year. Their topics are set to cover Vietnam’s successful poverty eradication campaign, social programs, and its journey to claim justice for 40,000 AO/dioxin victims.

Steve Rutchinski, a member of the CVFS delivers his speech. Photo: VNA

Participants took the occasion to discuss the Southeast Asian country’s important position in Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy and measures to promote bilateral relations. Currently, Vietnam has an advantage over other partners in the Asia-Pacific region with great plus points such as high economic growth and relatively low inflation.

Vietnam also is the only country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that has comprehensive bilateral cooperation mechanisms such as the Vietnam - Canada Comprehensive Partnership Agreement and the Joint Economic Commission (JEC).

Since 2015, Vietnam has maintained its position as Canada's largest trading partner in ASEAN. According to Canadian statistics, in 2021, two-way trade reached CAD 10.5 billion (USD 7.85 billion), up from CAD 8.9 billion in 2020.

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