General Secretary and President To Lam and Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a joint statement on upgrading the Vietnam-Canada relationship to a Strategic Partnership.

During their talks on September 24, General Secretary and President To Lam and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney assessed that the Vietnam-Canada relationship had met all the necessary conditions to enter a new phase of development as a Strategic Partnership. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two countries issued a joint statement on this upgrade, which is based on eight pillars.

Regarding bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening political trust and mutual understanding by maintaining regular high-level exchanges and leveraging existing bilateral mechanisms.

The leaders shared a commitment to upholding international law and enhancing regional and multilateral cooperation at forums such as the United Nations, APEC, ASEAN-led mechanisms, and La Francophonie, as well as within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Regarding cooperation in trade, investment, finance, and the economy, the leaders noted the rapid growth of bilateral trade, which demonstrates the strength of the economic partnership between the two nations and the immense potential for further expanding trade, investment, strategic business partnerships, and development cooperation, thereby contributing to the advancement of their shared priorities.

Both sides reaffirmed their support for a multilateral trading system that is non-discriminatory, open, fair, inclusive, equitable, transparent, and rules-based. Vietnam affirmed its readiness to create favorable conditions for Canadian enterprises to conduct stable, long-term business and investment activities in the country.

Regarding cooperation in transportation, supply chain management, and infrastructure, the leaders agreed to coordinate efforts to remove market access barriers, facilitate increased trade, strengthen the resilience of the maritime sector, and maintain supply chain continuity.

Vietnam and Canada welcomed the progress made in bilateral transport cooperation and reaffirmed the importance of collaborating to reduce emissions from maritime transport activities.

Regarding cooperation in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, advanced technologies, and innovation, the leaders committed to exploring ways to foster collaboration in science, technology, and innovation—particularly through engagement in multilateral forums and the application of advanced technologies.Vietnam and Canada agreed to explore opportunities to foster sustainable digital transformation, build secure digital ecosystems, and improve infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data governance, in accordance with domestic regulations and international law.

The leaders welcomed cooperation opportunities through ASEAN mechanisms, agreed to support collaborative research, talent mobility, and innovation partnerships in strategic sectors, and agreed to cooperate in fostering innovation and startup ecosystems.

Regarding cooperation on energy security, the environment, and sustainable growth, the leaders of both countries affirmed that energy security is a vital foundation for economic growth, industrial development, and long-term prosperity.

Vietnam and Canada emphasized the importance of ensuring a stable, affordable, and sustainable energy supply, thereby bolstering economic resilience, enhancing competitiveness, and advancing energy transition efforts.

The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to addressing climate change and agreed to promote cooperation on environmental protection and biodiversity. Both sides affirmed that sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure is crucial for fostering long-term economic growth, prosperity, and competitiveness for each country.

Regarding cooperation on food security and the agri-food sector, the leaders highlighted the pivotal role of these areas in ensuring a stable food supply, promoting sustainable development, and encouraging innovation across the entire food value chain.

Vietnam and Canada agreed to strengthen cooperation on food security, sustainable agriculture, and agricultural technology innovation.

Regarding cooperation in defense, security, maritime affairs, law enforcement, and the judiciary, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing defense dialogue and agreed to explore security cooperation opportunities, including collaboration in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime law enforcement capacity building, and responses to non-traditional security challenges. Vietnam and Canada agreed to explore cooperation potential in areas such as cybersecurity, maritime domain awareness, inter-service cooperation, intelligence, defense industry, and science, technology, and innovation—commensurate with each country's capabilities—and to maintain consultation and mutual support in regional and multilateral defense cooperation to promote dialogue, prevent conflict, enhance coordinated resilience, and maintain a stable international security environment.

The leaders welcomed initial discussions on customs cooperation and moves toward establishing a bilateral dialogue mechanism on security and law enforcement, thereby supporting cooperation in combating security challenges posed by transnational organized crime.

The two leaders reaffirmed their steadfast support for the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, the non-threat or use of force, freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful trade in the South China Sea, and respect for the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal states over their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and continental shelves as established under international law.

Regarding cooperation in education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, the two sides agreed to deepen collaboration in higher education, skills development, research, and academic exchanges, particularly in priority areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing.

Both sides emphasized expanding support for students, educators, scholars, and researchers from Vietnam and Canada to participate in education and training programs in both countries.

The leaders agreed to strengthen connections between the business communities and peoples of both countries and welcomed the successful conclusion of negotiations to expand the Vietnam-Canada Air Transport Agreement, thereby enabling the operation of direct passenger flights and dedicated cargo flights between the two nations.Both sides expressed confidence that the new framework for relations would open a new chapter in the bilateral relationship, fostering deeper, more substantive, and more effective cooperation between Vietnam and Canada, and contributing actively to peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development in the region and the world.