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| Major General Phạm Mạnh Thắng and Brigadier-General Carol Potvin sign the cooperation agreement on Monday. — Photo Courtesy of the Peacekeeping Department. |
OTTAWA — Việt Nam and Canada signed a 2025-2026 cooperation framework on United Nations (UN) peacekeeping on Monday, further solidifying their defence ties during a visit by a Vietnamese delegation to Canada.
Major General Phạm Mạnh Thắng, Head of the Peacekeeping Department under Việt Nam's Ministry of National Defence, and Brigadier-General Carol Potvin, Deputy Director General for Continental Defence Policy under Canada’s Department of National Defence, inked the deal.
The signing took place as part of Major General Thắng’s working visit to Canada.
The annual cooperation framework builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on UN peacekeeping signed by the two nations in 2023. It also reflects the commitment to advance Việt Nam-Canada defence relations, as agreed during the Việt Nam-Canada Defence Policy Dialogue in Việt Nam in February 2025.
The 2025-2026 framework focuses on three key areas: exchanges of delegations at various levels, training and capacity-building cooperation and Canadian assistance in providing equipment to enhance Việt Nam’s peacekeeping training capabilities and the expertise of Vietnam People’s Army personnel in UN missions.
Over recent years, Việt Nam and Canada have engaged in multiple working group exchanges to boost mutual understanding and coordination in UN peacekeeping.
In May 2023, Canada’s Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security, Jacqueline O’Neill, visited Việt Nam’s Peacekeeping Department to promote collaboration on increasing women’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations.
In July 2024, a delegation from Canada’s Military Training and Cooperation Directorate met with their Vietnamese counterparts to discuss a three-year plan to implement the 2023 MoU.
In terms of training, Canada has supported Việt Nam by offering language courses (English and French) and peacekeeping-related programmes, including civil-military coordination, military observation, international law on armed conflicts, and gender equality in the military.
In July 2024, the two countries co-hosted a successful battlefield first-aid training course in Việt Nam. Throughout 2024, Việt Nam sent two officers to Canada for French language training and 15 others to participate as instructors and trainees in specialised UN peacekeeping courses.
Looking ahead, both sides pledged to deepen and expand their successful cooperation. Priorities include developing UN-recognised peacekeeping training courses, expanding officer training programmes, enhancing language and instructor training in Canada, and advancing gender equality initiatives.
Plans also include hosting international workshops to strengthen women’s roles in UN peacekeeping forces.
The signing of the 2025-2026 framework reaffirms Việt Nam and Canada’s strong commitment to contributing to regional and global peace and stability, while opening new avenues for future collaboration. — VNS
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