OTTAWA -- Vietnamese President To Lam and Prime Minister Mark Carney have upgraded the ties between their two nations to a strategic partnership.
In an address on Parliament Hill today, Lam said it's time to go beyond a 2017 pact that covered investment, defence and academia, and to forge deeper ties with longer-term goals.
Lam told MPs, senators and diplomats that Canada can help Vietnam become a more developed country through universities and modernizing agriculture.
He said Vietnam will have more frequent and frank exchanges with Canada and work to clear bottlenecks on promised projects.
Carney said the change in the bilateral relationship will help Canada export more energy and suggested there will be direct flights between the two countries.
Vietnam has embraced Carney's call for middle powers to work together in the face of American and Chinese economic coercion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2026.