At the reception, Ms Ngan spoke highly of the activities of the Canadian businesspeople, who are on a four-day visit from October 3 to study Vietnam’s investment environment, wishing that they would help boost economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

Ms Ngan said she is pleased with recent positive developments in bilateral cooperation, with two-way trade reaching nearly US$1 billion over the past nine months.

However, Vietnam and Canada should fully tap their potential for economic cooperation to meet the aspirations of the two countries’ people, she said.

The NA Vice Chairwoman affirmed that Vietnam always treasures ties with Canada, a prestigious member of G8 and G20, and wishes to continue boosting cooperation with the North American country in various fields.

As a legislative body, the Vietnam NA will contribute to accelerating the signing of the Vietnam-Canada Investment Encouragement and Protection Agreement, creating a legal foundation for Canadian businesses to invest in Vietnam, Ms Ngan said.

She also expressed her wish that the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement would be signed soon, opening up opportunities for economic cooperation between Canada and ASEAN nations, including Vietnam.

For his part, Olsen Donald said he hoped that the two sides could continue fostering cooperation in fields such as energy, finance and technological transfer.

During its stay in Vietnam, the Canadian delegation worked with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport, Vietnam Development Bank and Vietnam Machinery Erection and Construction Corp. (LILAMA) on projects to build infrastructure facilities in Vietnam.