The upcoming official visit to Vietnam made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from November 8-9 will help open up more cooperation opportunities for both countries, said former Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam David Devine.

Former Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam David Devine 

In his interview granted to Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents ahead of the visit, former Ambassador Devine said that in the last five years, the two countries have seen tremendous growth in trade, investment and education.

In the field of education, the number of Vietnamese students coming to Canada to study enjoyed the growth rate of 30 percent in 2015 and 2016, with around 7,500 students each year.

According to a recent survey, Canada is the third most popular destination for Vietnamese students, he stated.

In terms of trade, Vietnam became the largest trade partner of Canada among ASEAN countries in 2015, with two-way trade reaching 5.5 billion CAD (4.3 billion USD) last year and being on uptrend. There are also a lot of Canadian enterprises running business in Vietnam in agriculture, fertiliser and aerospace.

“Another area which is quite important is development assistance,” Devine stated, adding that Canada-invested projects have helped eliminate poverty and strengthen economic conditions in Vietnam.

Canada has also assisted Vietnam in coordinating with international organisations such as the UN Development Programme and the World Bank to build some economic foundations for development, he added.

For prospects for bilateral cooperation, the former ambassador suggested the two countries consider the expansion of collaboration in high technology, insurance and innovation solution, along with agriculture and education.-VNA