Vietnam-Canada Friendship Meeting: Advancing Comprehensive Cooperation through People-to-People Diplomacy

	Vietnam-Canada Sign MoU in Science, Technology Cooperation
	Fostering Economic and Educational Ties Between Vietnam and Canada

Attending the meeting were Dong Huy Cuong, Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations; Ambassador Pham Cao Phong, Standing Vice President of the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association; Prof. Dr. Dang Trung Phuoc, President of the Canada-Vietnam Association; along with members of the Association’s Executive Committee, representatives of the Canada-Vietnam Association, overseas Vietnamese, businesses, and experts from both countries.

Dong Huy Cuong, Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, speaks at the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Meeting titled “Vietnam-Canada Comprehensive Partnership: A Way Forward.” (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

At the meeting, overseas Vietnamese delegates and experts shared numerous initiatives, experiences, and concrete cooperation proposals, focusing on areas such as the environment, education, innovation, tourism, medicinal plants, and green transition. Their contributions reflected a strong attachment to their homeland and a desire to make practical, long-term contributions to Vietnam-Canada friendship and cooperation.

Prof. Dr. Dang Trung Phuoc, President of the Canada-Vietnam Association, emphasized that raising accurate and comprehensive awareness of biodiversity is a crucial foundation for protecting ecosystems and the natural environment, thereby laying the groundwork for sustainable development. In this spirit, he shared that he and his colleagues are implementing a bamboo planting program in Hue City aimed at forest restoration, ecosystem regeneration, and helping to address the lingering consequences of war and environmental pollution. According to him, the bamboo species being used possesses high ecological and economic value, with the capacity to improve the environment, absorb CO₂, and create sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

Affirming that bamboo holds not only biological value but also profound cultural significance, Prof. Dr. Dang Trung Phuoc noted that developing bamboo cultivation models is a practical solution to combining environmental protection with the preservation of cultural identity, thereby contributing sustainably to Vietnam’s long-term development.

Prof. Dr. Dang Trung Phuoc, President of the Canada-Vietnam Association. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Providing additional information, Dieu Nhat Hung, a member of the Canada-Vietnam Association, stated that the Association has implemented a range of practical activities in environmental protection, climate change adaptation, and the promotion of substantive cooperation between the two countries, aligned with the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

According to him, the Association has conducted research, consultations, and working sessions with National Assembly agencies; organized workshops with the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment on the current status and negative environmental impacts of acacia trees, thereby proposing increased use of native species as replacements. At the same time, the Association has strengthened communication efforts to raise environmental and Net Zero awareness among young people and students.

In terms of on-the-ground implementation, the Association is coordinating with Hue City to carry out a Moso bamboo planting model, with plans to support 1,000 trees and establish a bamboo forest in the Da Vien Islet area. The project will be implemented during the 2025-2027 period; from 2028 onward, it will be reviewed, evaluated, and studied for expansion, including plans to replicate the model in the A Luoi area, thereby contributing to socio-economic development in disadvantaged localities.

Uyen Dao (Vietnam-Canada Business Association) expressed her desire to contribute to Vietnam-Canada cooperation in the fields of education and research. Currently working at a university in Canada, she regularly connects Canadian universities and research institutions with partners in Vietnam to establish cooperation in training and scientific research.

Le To Diep, an overseas Vietnamese in Toronto (Canada), shared her nearly three decades of engagement with Canada and her efforts to foster cooperation in education, high-end tourism, cultural promotion, and charitable activities. She noted that she is currently advising Da Nang City in the field of innovation and promoting an initiative to establish a sister-city partnership between Da Nang and Toronto. She is also advancing several pillars of cooperation, including: introducing the Canadian education system from preschool to university level to Vietnam, with a focus on Da Nang; promoting technological development and green transition in the central region; leveraging medicinal plants as a heritage value and local strength; and developing resort, wellness, and healing tourism linked to medicinal resources and traditional culture.

In addition, she is implementing an initiative to bring Michelin-starred chefs to Vietnam, while also working toward positioning Vietnam as an attractive destination for the global digital nomad community, thereby attracting intellectual resources, promoting the country’s image, and expanding international cooperation. She is also pursuing a project to build a healing center focused on spiritual and cognitive development in Mai Chau, Phu Tho Province, with the vision of establishing a Vietnam-Canada International Friendship Village.

Other opinions focused on investment connectivity, technology transfer, environmental pollution treatment, medicinal plant development, and legal support, reflecting the diversity and depth of cooperative initiatives proposed by the overseas Vietnamese community.

Delegates at the event. (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Pham Cao Phong stated that the topics discussed were aligned with the major orientations of the 14th National Party Congress, which emphasizes three strategic breakthroughs in institutions and implementation, human resources, and synchronized, modern infrastructure. The Ambassador called on the Vietnamese community in Canada to continue spreading the spirit of friendship and love for their homeland and country, thereby strengthening community bonds and promoting people-to-people relations between the two nations.

Regarding future directions, the Ambassador noted that the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association plans to organize seminars on studying abroad and educational cooperation, as well as thematic workshops on bamboo in connection with climate change and culture, with a view to enhancing the depth of cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Also speaking at the event, Dong Huy Cuong, Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, expressed his deep appreciation for the affection, attachment, and homeland-oriented spirit of the Vietnamese community in Canada. He commended the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association for initiating and connecting cooperative initiatives.

Emphasizing that the potential for Vietnam-Canada cooperation remains substantial, he proposed strengthening coordination among the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations, the Vietnam-Canada Friendship Association, and partners in Canada to develop long-term mechanisms and connectivity models, promote two-way exchanges, and alternately organize large-scale networking programs in both countries, thereby further deepening and sustaining the friendship between the peoples of Vietnam and Canada.

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