Premier Wynne arrived in Ho Chi Minh city on December 3rd to begin her first business mission to Vietnam and the first-ever Ontario Premier led mission to the country. While in Vietnam, the Premier participated in roundtable discussions and hold meetings with senior political leaders to build partnerships and exchange ideas. Premier Wynne and her delegates then traveled to Hanoi capital on December 5th, and departing Vietnam on December 7th.
While in Vietnam, Ontario delegates met with key business, academic and political leaders to forge new relationships and drive innovation with Vietnam and its businesses.
Chairman of Ho Chi Minh city People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong received Premier of Ontario (Canada) Ms Kathleen Wynne on December 4th. (Photo: Thanh Vu/VNA)
“Vietnam’s growth, like Ontario’s, is bolstered by young entrepreneurs who are making their mark in tech and other sectors. Building partnerships with fast-growing and emerging markets like Vietnam is critical to Ontario’s economic success. As the first Ontario Premier to visit Vietnam, I look forward to building on our relationship and identifying new opportunities to grow our partnerships in business, trade and education”, said Premier Wynne.
Two-way trade between Ontario and Vietnam has nearly quadrupled since 2012, reaching more than USD3 billion last year.
“Vietnam is an important trading partner for Ontario. The goal of this mission is to lay the foundation for future partnerships between Ontario and Vietnam. I look forward to building mutually beneficial government and business relationships that will create new jobs and reinforce trade development and investment opportunities that will benefit our jurisdictions for years to come”, stressed Michael Chan, Ontario’s Minister of International Trade.
Over the past decade, the two sides have laid the ground work to create strong business partnerships. Ontario has welcomed representatives from Vietnam to explore collaboration in key sectors, including healthcare, infrastructure, aerospace and education.
Expanding trade and innovation partnerships between Ontario and Vietnam will create new opportunities that benefit workers and businesses in both regions./.
Ontario is Canada’s most populous province, generating 37% of the national GDP. The province is home to almost 50% of all employees in high tech, financial services and other knowledge-intensive industries. Ontario’s provincial capital, Toronto, is the second-largest financial hub in North America after New York.
Ontario is North America’s seventh-largest economy and Canada’s largest centre for banking, insurance and capital markets. Ontario’s diverse and innovative economy, with its educated and talented workforce, low business costs and generous incentives for R&D, make it one of the best places in the world to do business and invest.