Measured in time, Singapore is two hours by air from Vietnam. Measured by the lives of ordinary citizens, it is a universe away. A city-state with fewer than six million people, Singapore boasts a standard of living that matches Canada’s. Few, if any, North American cities come close to Singapore’s success in urban design. This multi-lingual, multicultural city is home to some of the most dramatic and inspiring architecture on the globe, which was recently enhanced by McGill-trained architect Moshe Safdie’s dramatic ArtScience Museum. The Governor General received a tour of the Museum from Mr. Safdie on Sunday.
The Governor General’s final day in Vietnam took him from the urban bustle of Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho in the south. From there the motorcade threaded for two hours through one of Vietnam’s poorest areas, along narrow, waste-strewn roads lined with small shops, rice paddies and muddy canals.
Lors de sa troisème journée au Vietnam, le gouverneur général s’est rendu à Ho Chi Minh-Ville où il a notamment livré un discours aux étudiants et le corps professoral de l’Université de l’Industrie.
La délégation canadienne à l’Université des sciences sociales et humaines à Hanoi (le 17 novembre 2011).
The decision that Governor General David Johnston’s first state visit would take him to Asia makes good sense on a number of levels. First, Asia’s economic growth continues to far outstrip the pace of economic activity in the rest of the world. But its cultural and diplomatic importance is also rising rapidly, making our connection to the region even more valuable as Canada positions itself in global affairs.
Second, Canada boasts a large and growing Asian diaspora. Already, Chinese is the third most widely spoken language in our country and Asian Canadians maintain deep ties of family, culture and commerce with the region. Our European heritage has shaped who we are as Canadians since the first settlers arrived to the present day, but the face of Canada is literally changing as new Canadians from other parts of the world increase their role in our national life.
