Former Quebec premier Jean Charest (Photo: The Canadian Press)
Ottawa (VNA) - Former Quebec premier JeanCharest has suggested Vietnam and Canada cooperate in sectors such asinfrastructure, health care, and medical education.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Charestsaid there is ample room for the two countries to step up trade ties, addingthat their exports are reciprocal.
Though Vietnam is Canada’s largest trade partner in ASEAN,two-way trade accounts for just 0.7 percent of the North American country’s total,he said.
The two countries have yet to bring into full play the advantagesbrought about by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-PacificPartnership (CPTPP), he pointed out.
With Canada’s implementation of the updated version of theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Vietnamese investors in Canada willhave opportunities to access both the US and Mexico.
Meanwhile, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP), signed by Vietnam and 14 other countries in mid-November, offers a newview on investment in Vietnam, Charest said.
Canada attaches importance to growing ties with Vietnam, acentre of FTAs in the Asia-Pacific, he said, adding that it can act as a bridgefor Canadian goods and services to access the 660 million-strong ASEAN market.
Vietnam should be considered as an investment destination byCanadian companies wishing to penetrate into Asia, he stressed./.
Cambodian border affairs committee chairman Var Kimhong said the government will send newly-drawn Vietnam-Cambodia border topographic maps to the UN for international recognition.
Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich held a phone discussion with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh on September 8 to review bilateral defence cooperation in the recent past and define directions for the time ahead.
The Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons between Vietnam and Cambodia will come into effect on October 1, allowing certain inmates to continue serving jail terms in their home nations, the Cambodian Ministry of Justice announced on September 14.
An event was held in Hanoi on November 12 to hand over Vietnam-Cambodia border topographic maps with a scale of 1:25,000 to ministries, sectors, and central agencies and to provide training in the use of the maps.
Ha expressed his hope that cooperation in science and technology, agriculture, and natural resources would emerge as new focal points and engines of growth in Vietnam–China relations.
Giang said he believes that building on the solid foundation nurtured over the past half-century and the strong determination of both nations, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to grow in a more robust, comprehensive, and extensive manner, thus bringing more practical benefits to the two nations' people.
Highlighting the transformative potential of the draft law in revitalising Vietnam’s railway industry, Hoang Van Cuong, a deputy of Hanoi, expressed his support for Article 39, which empowers the Prime Minister to issue a list of railway-related goods and services to be assigned or ordered from domestic enterprises for production.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, Hoan, formerly Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, is under investigation for allegedly taking bribes in connection with a case involving the Hoang Long Construction and Manpower Supply JSC and related units.
Chairing a national conference on the organisation of the examination on June 18, the PM highlighted the historical significance of the examination, as the restructuring of provincial-level administrative units is underway and the two-tier local administration model is set to officially begin operations on July 1.
Right on the same day, the ministry issued its highest-level travel warning, urging Vietnamese citizens not to travel to Israel or Iran, and advised those already in these countries to swiftly consider evacuation or relocation plans.
From the struggles against colonialists and imperialists to the period of Doi moi (renewal) and international integration, the Vietnamese revolutionary press has always played a pioneering role on the ideological and cultural front, he said.
The Party leader's working session with the standing boards of the Party Committees of HCM City, Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Binh Duong, the VNA General Director's remarks on the occasion of the 19th OANA General Assembly, the launch of new NIC - Google initiatives aimed at bolstering AI entrepreneurship and digital literacy in Vietnam are among news highlights June 18.
Vietnam and Indonesia reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in combating terrorism as it remains a threat to peace, security, and stability across their respective nations, the broader region, and the international community.
The Vietnamese representative also emphasised the shared responsibility of relevant parties to build trust, enhance cooperation, and jointly manage the risks of conflict, thus safeguarding long-term peace and stability in the East Sea.
The National Assembly on June 18 passed the law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Product and Goods Quality, with 408 out of 420 participating deputies voting in favour, accounting for 85.36% of the total.
The Party leader asked the new HCM City to embrace a multi-centre and integrated urban ecosystem where each development pole functions as a link complementary to and intelligently connected with each other in a harmonious whole.
The resolutions issued by the PM as well as ministries and ministry-level agencies reassign responsibility for 346 administrative procedures - 18 from district to provincial levels, 278 to commune level, and 50 eliminated.
Legislators are due to pass several amended laws, including the Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy, and the Law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Product and Goods Quality.
Vietnamese localities' readiness to implement the two-tier local administration model, the evacuation of 18 Vietnamese citizens from Iran, Petrovietnam's 11th ranking in the 2025 Fortune Southeast Asia 500 are among news highlights on June 17 evening.
The General Secretary underlined the resolve to achieve a growth rate of at least 8% in 2025, laying the groundwork for double-digit growth in the following period. He noted that these are mandatory targets, with no alternative path to success.
Restructuring and improving the quality of officials, civil servants, and public employees is no longer a choice, but an urgent requirement to transition from administrative management to governance in service of the people.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Israel has advised Vietnamese people living there to proactively prepare and seek ways to leave the country via land border crossings, especially toward Jordan or Egypt, when security and safety conditions allow.
Former Quebec premier Jean Charest (Photo: The Canadian Press) 
