Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long meets with Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development Warren Kaeding in Hanoi on February 17. (Photo: VNA)

At a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long on February 17, Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development Warren Kaeding praised Vietnam’s economic progress, highlighting the complementary benefits between Saskatchewan and Vietnam.

Beyond traditional sectors, Saskatchewan is eager to expand ties with Vietnam in renewable energy, mineral extraction and processing, and innovation, Kaeding noted.

Deputy Minister Long expressed his optimism that with both countries’ open economic policies and Canada’s market diversification efforts under its Indo-Pacific Strategy, economic relations between Vietnam and Canada, and Saskatchewan in particular, will see further growth.

The two sides discussed signing a cooperation document and agreed to assign technical teams to work on specific details. This aligns with discussions from the second session of the Vietnam-Canada Joint Economic Committee held in Hanoi in March 2024, which focused on enhancing trade and investment cooperation at both governmental and provincial levels.

Saskatchewan, a central-western Canadian province, is the country’s third-largest by area and has the fifth-largest economy among Canadian provinces, despite a relatively small population of 1.2 million. The province is known for its agriculture, forestry, and mining industries, particularly in potash, uranium, and oil and gas.