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Consul General of Canada Behzad Babakhani speaks at the 50th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Vietnam- Canada diplomatic relations (Photo: Thuy Vu) |
Speaking at the celebration, Consul General of Canada Behzad Babakhani said that Canada is in the top ten of Vietnam's largest export markets and imported a total of US$11 billion worth of Vietnamese goods every year.
According to H.E. Behzad Babakhani, Canada's merchandise exports to Vietnam in 2022 have increased by nearly 40 percent.
With about 10,000 Canadians living in Ho Chi Minh City, Canada has been crowned Ho Chi Minh City's most active community, notably the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Vice versa, there are about 300,000 Vietnamese Canadians who are entrepreneurs, politicians, scientists and some talented rappers and have been contributing greatly to Canada's growth in all fields.
As for Ho Chi Minh City, H.E. Behzad Babakhani expressed his pride together with HCMC to join the meaningful anniversary celebration.
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Deputy Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Vo Van Hoan speaks at the event (Photo: Thuy Vu) |
On behalf of Ho Chi Minh City leaders, Deputy Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Vo Van Hoan extended thankfulness to generations of leaders, the business community and individuals of Canada for their efforts in building the foundation and the future of Vietnam - Canada relations.
Regarding politics and diplomacy, the two countries have maintained meetings on the sidelines of summits, and international and regional multilateral forums along with annual exchanges between high-ranking delegations.
On the occasion of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to Vietnam in 2017, Vietnam and Canada officially raised their relations to a Comprehensive Partnership- a significant milestone for bilateral ties.
Thereby, the trade and investment relations and development cooperation are evaluated as the most highlights for the relations between the two countries, added Mr. Hoan.
Since 2015, Vietnam has become Canada's largest trading partner in ASEAN.
Over a decade, beginning from 2012, the bilateral trade turnover has increased four times, up from nearly US$2 billion to more than US$7 billion in 2022, equivalent to an increase in two-way trade turnover from 20 to 25 percent yearly.
By the end of 2022, Canada ranked 14th among 130 countries and territories in the world investing in Vietnam with a total registered capital of US$4.82 billion.
Canada is also an attractive destination for Vietnamese investors.
As for Ho Chi Minh City alone, by the end of 2022, Canada ranked 22nd out of 117 countries and territories investing in Ho Chi Minh City with a total investment capital of nearly US$130 million. In 2022, two-way trade between Ho Chi Minh City and Canada reached approximately US$633 million.
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A performance of children at the celebration (Photo: Thuy Vu) |
Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan believed that the above-mentioned figures would likely rise much further in the future than the current time, especially when the two countries effectively exploit the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and related agreements.
According to him, the partner was encouraged to provide advanced technology and products to support HCMC's development in various fields, especially in infrastructure development, green economy and clean energy. Thereby, businesses of Ho Chi Minh City could take full advantage of investment opportunities in Canada's technology, natural resources, and tourism.
