Nurturing strong bonds with Vietnam among Vietnamese in the Land of the Maple Leaf
WVR - Former Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Cao Phong affirmed that the bond with one’s homeland and roots has always been a source of connection for Vietnamese communities living abroad, while also creating meaningful links between the peoples of the two countries.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Cao Phong during his 2020-2023 tenure. (Source: Embassy of Vietnam in Canada) |
On the occasion of the State visit to Canada by General Secretary, President To Lam, The World and Vietnam Report spoke with former Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Cao Phong about milestones in Vietnam-Canada cooperation, as well as efforts to connect the Vietnamese community in the land of the maple leaf.
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According to Ambassador Pham Cao Phong, General Secretary, President To Lam’s State visit to Canada is of historic significance, as it is the first State visit to Canada by Vietnam’s highest-ranking leader.
The visit comes after the 14th National Party Congress, marking the beginning of a new era - an era of rapid and sustainable national development, with greater prosperity and happiness for the people.
The Ambassador affirmed that the visit will provide fresh impetus for Vietnam-Canada relations to develop more deeply and comprehensively in the coming period, with economic cooperation, science and technology, and innovation continuing to offer significant potential.
As a G7 member, Canada has strengths in science and technology, innovation, renewable energy and climate change response, areas that align with Vietnam’s current development priorities.
At the same time, Canada is placing increasing importance on Vietnam’s role in the Indo-Pacific, with Vietnam now Canada’s largest trading partner in ASEAN.
Diplomacy keeping the bridge open through difficult times
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| On 16 July 2020, Ambassador Pham Cao Phong presented his Letters of Credence to Governor General of Canada Julie Payette virtually. (Source: Embassy of Vietnam in Canada) |
Looking back on his time in Canada, Ambassador Pham Cao Phong described it as a tenure of “digital diplomacy”, as diplomatic activities had to adapt to a world facing unprecedented challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the time, borders were closed, flights were successively suspended, and face-to-face meetings, which are a routine part of diplomatic work, became extremely difficult. Yet the flow of connectivity between Vietnam and Canada was maintained through exchanges across screens.
During those periods, keeping Vietnam-Canada relations running smoothly and ensuring that channels of contact remained active became an important task of diplomacy. The Ambassador said that even as the pandemic cast a shadow over external relations, high-level channels of contact between Vietnam and Canada continued to be maintained.
During this period, the two Prime Ministers held virtual exchanges and met twice on the sidelines of major international conferences. Meanwhile, exchanges between ministries and sectors continued, helping to keep bilateral ties on track.
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| The first meeting of the Vietnam-Canada Joint Economic Committee took place in Vancouver, Canada, in July 2022. (Source: Ministry of Industry and Trade) |
Vietnam and Canada also continued their exchanges and explored new avenues for cooperation. Specifically, the two countries jointly held the second Political Consultation and the first Defence Dialogue virtually.
Notably, the first meeting of the Vietnam-Canada Joint Economic Committee was held in Vancouver in July 2022, marking the implementation of a new economic cooperation mechanism between the two countries.
These developments went hand in hand with notable growth in bilateral trade. Two-way trade increased by 12.8% in 2020, 18.5% in 2021 and around 31% in 2022.
In the six years since Vietnam and Canada agreed to upgrade their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership in 2017, two-way trade increased by around 123%, while Vietnam’s exports to Canada rose by more than 150%.
Alongside opportunities created by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Vietnam gradually became Canada’s seventh-largest source of goods imports, demonstrating the momentum of bilateral economic cooperation amid considerable volatility in the global economy.
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| More than 200 delegates attended the online workshop “Developing Vietnam-Canada Business Partnership”, jointly organised by the Embassy of Vietnam in Canada, the Government of Quebec and the Canada-ASEAN Business Council on 21 January 2021. (Source: Embassy of Vietnam in Canada) |
Behind these figures were the persistent efforts of the Embassy of Vietnam in Canada. When business trips and in-person trade promotion activities could no longer take place as before, the Embassy worked with relevant Canadian organisations to step up online engagement, organising numerous economic seminars to connect businesses from the two countries.
As pandemic prevention conditions improved, these activities gradually combined online and in-person formats, attracting growing participation from businesses in both countries.
The virtual meetings of the time became an effective channel of connection, enabling businesses from both countries to learn about each other’s markets, exchange experience and explore opportunities for cooperation while international economic activities remained heavily constrained.
For Ambassador Pham Cao Phong, the days of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that the resilience of Vietnamese diplomacy lies in its ability to maintain connections, build trust and help move bilateral relations forward.
A glimpse of the homeland in the Land of the Maple Leaf
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| The Vietnamese community in Canada stands solemnly beneath the red flag with a yellow star on the occasion of Vietnam’s National Day on 2 September. (Source: VNA) |
Sharing some of the most profound memories from his tenure, Ambassador Pham Cao Phong spoke at length about the Vietnamese community in Canada and its deep affection for the homeland and country.
According to the Ambassador, although thousands of kilometres away from home, Vietnamese people abroad continue to carry a profound attachment to their roots.
Building on that bond, the Embassy of Vietnam in Canada has sought to create more spaces for the community to stay connected with the homeland through cultural and community activities.
One image that has stayed with Ambassador Pham Cao Phong is that of the red flag with a yellow star flying in front of city halls across Canada on Vietnam’s National Day on 2 September.
Over the course of three years, what began in one city gradually gained support in many other localities, bringing the sacred national flag to fly in seven Canadian cities.
The Ambassador also fondly recalled the image of a Vietnamese woman in a red ao dai adorned with a yellow star standing beneath the national flag in Toronto.
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| The Embassy of Vietnam in Canada holds a virtual Hung Kings’ Commemoration ceremony, connecting Vietnamese communities across Canada in a shared tribute to the nation’s roots. (Source: VNA) |
Ambassador Pham Cao Phong also noted that culture and roots are the strong bonds that connect Vietnamese people with one another and with their homeland, despite being thousands of kilometres apart.
With this in mind, the Embassy of Vietnam in Canada organised a Hung Kings’ Commemoration ceremony online for the first time, later combining in-person and virtual formats.
In particular, when the Ambassador read the ceremonial text, people at every participating location stood together to pay tribute to the Hung Kings, evoking a moving image of solidarity, pride and the deep-rooted affection of Vietnamese people living far from home.
Through such activities, traditional cultural values have continued to be passed on to younger generations through stories of the nation’s origins, bánh chung, bánh giay and traditional customs.
Even more importantly, many Vietnamese people in Canada have returned to Vietnam to invest, support localities and make tangible contributions to the country’s economic development.
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| The Embassy of Vietnam in Canada displays a map of Vietnam made from conical hats. (Source: Embassy of Vietnam in Canada) |
In its community activities, the Embassy of Vietnam in Canada also chose culture as a means of connecting Vietnamese people with their homeland.
At major receptions, the Embassy displayed a map of Vietnam made from conical hats, depicting the country from its mainland to the sea, including the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.
The image conveyed a sense of attachment to the homeland and awareness of national roots, helping preserve and pass on love for the country from one generation to the next.
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| Ambassador Pham Cao Phong introduces the Vietnamese community in Canada to the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh at the Ho Chi Minh exhibition room. (Source: VNA) |
The Ambassador shared that another notable milestone was the establishment of a Ho Chi Minh exhibition room at Vietnam House, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ho Chi Minh Museum.
The exhibition room houses photographs introducing the life of President Ho Chi Minh, more than 180 books about him, as well as works by Canadian artists depicting Uncle Ho, reflecting the respect of Canadian people for President Ho Chi Minh.
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which curtailed in-person activities, Ambassador Pham Cao Phong said there was an even greater need for flexibility in the way activities were organised, thereby maintaining and nurturing the enduring bond with the homeland within the Vietnamese community.
When awakened and nurtured, that bond becomes a valuable resource for the country, while Vietnamese-origin communities can also help foster mutual understanding and promote people-to-people ties between the two countries.
