General Secretary and President To Lam will attend the High-level General Debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), undertake bilateral meetings in the U.S., and pay a State visit to Canada at the invitation of Governor General of Canada Louise Arbour from September 20-25, the Government News quoted Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang's announcement at the ministry’s regular press briefing on September 17 as reporting.
This is the second time Mr. To Lam participates in a UNGA session in his capacity as the leader of the Party and State, following the first time in 2024.
Since joining the UN in 1977, Vietnam has made numerous contributions and undertaken a range of important international responsibilities, including serving as President of the 11th Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 2026, and as member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 and 2026-2028 terms, according to the Government News.
Vietnam also has, for the first time, a representative serving as a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term.
Vietnam and the U.S. normalized diplomatic relations in July 1995 and upgraded their ties to a Comprehensive Partnership in July 2013. In September 2023, the two countries lifted ties into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development.
The U.S. is one of Vietnam's leading trading partners. Bilateral trade reached $170 billion in 2025 and hit $97.7 billion in the first half of 2026.
Vietnam and Canada established diplomatic relations in 1973 and upgraded their ties into a Comprehensive Partnership in November 2017. Canada is advancing its Indo-Pacific Strategy and strengthening relations with ASEAN and key partners in the region.
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