Canada-Vietnam ties about more than just trade

The Vietnamese president’s visit comes as Ottawa and Hanoi are both searching—from very different geopolitical positions—for greater resilience, diversified partnerships, and room to manoeuvre in a more contested world.

Vietnam is now Canada’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia, with bilateral merchandise trade reaching $15.7-billion in 2024. Trade diversification will inevitably be part of the agenda for Vietnamese President Tô Lâm Ottawa visit this week, writes Vina Nadjibulla.Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Opinion

BY VINA NADJIBULLA

September 23, 2026

When Vietnamese President Tô Lâm arrives in Canada this week for a state visit, he will find Ottawa confronting a strategic problem Hanoi has grappled with for decades: How can a country preserve its f...

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