Ottawa is playing host this week to a historic first: Vietnam's General Secretary and President, Tô Lâm, is making a state visit to the capital from September 24 to 25, 2026, the first official visit to Canada by a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973.
A visit more than 50 years in the making
The two countries also cooperate through APEC and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, and officials on both sides describe the relationship as broad and long-standing, with deep people-to-people ties and a growing trade and economic partnership.
As part of the visit, Tô Lâm met with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa, where the two leaders formally elevated the Canada-Vietnam relationship to a Strategic Partnership. That new designation covers cooperation across trade, defense, energy, technology, agriculture and cultural exchange, with both governments describing themselves as trusted partners committed to a relationship grounded in mutual respect for each other's political systems.
What was signed in Ottawa
During the visit, Canada and Vietnam signed a trio of new memorandums of understanding: one on Maritime Transport Cooperation, one on Energy Cooperation and Clean Energy Transition, and one on Enhanced Environmental Cooperation. The two countries also renewed a sanitary and phytosanitary measures agreement between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture, a deal that governs how food and agricultural products move safely between the two countries.
Those agreements matter well beyond the ceremony in Ottawa. Trade between Canada and Vietnam has been climbing steadily, and combined agri-food and seafood trade between the two countries reached nearly $1.7 billion in 2025. Vietnam is now Canada's largest trading partner within ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, making it a significant market for Canadian exporters and a growing source of imports for Canadian consumers.
Why it's happening here
State visits of this kind are rare, and choosing Ottawa as the venue underscores the capital's role as the stage for Canada's biggest diplomatic moments.
It's also a reminder of Ottawa's role as the country's front door for foreign leaders, a role the city will lean into further as it approaches its own 200th anniversary next week.
What comes next
No further details on specific follow-up meetings or timelines have been announced.
Sources: Prime Minister of Canada (official), Governor General of Canada (official), Rideau Hall / Governor General press release (Newswire)
