On the evening of November 1, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and a high-ranking delegation arrived in Hanoi, beginning an official visit to Vietnam from November 1-2 at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

This is the third time Prime Minister Mark Rutte has visited Vietnam, having visited Vietnam twice in 2014 and 2019. The visit takes place in the context of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations.

Welcoming the Dutch Prime Minister and his delegation at the airport were: Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc; Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Ngo Huong Nam; and a number of leaders of departments and offices of the Government Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc welcomed the Prime Minister of the Netherlands at the airport. Photo: VNA

Accompanying the Prime Minister of the Netherlands were Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam Kees van Baar; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Michiel Sweers; Foreign Policy Advisor (Prime Minister's Office) Cecile Klever; Director of the Asia and Pacific Department (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Annemarie van der Heijden; Consul General of the Netherlands in Vietnam Daniel Stork; Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands in Vietnam Christoph Prommersberger; Spokesperson (Prime Minister's Office) Aafke Plug; Director of Protocol (Ministry of the Interior) Heika Brons...

The official welcoming ceremony for the Dutch Prime Minister will take place tomorrow morning (November 2) at the Presidential Palace, chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. The two Prime Ministers will then hold talks at the Government headquarters.

The two Prime Ministers are expected to co-chair the High-Tech Business Forum and the Green Economy Forum.

Vietnam and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations on April 9, 1973. The two countries have established a Strategic Partnership on Climate Change Response and Water Management (2010), a Strategic Partnership on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (2014) and a Comprehensive Partnership (2019).

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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and a high-ranking delegation arrived in Hanoi. Photo: VNA

Vietnam-Netherlands relations have developed positively in many areas, notably investment, trade, agriculture and climate change response. The two sides maintain regular exchanges of delegations at all levels, have many bilateral cooperation mechanisms; closely coordinate and support each other at international forums and organizations.

The Netherlands is Vietnam's second largest trading partner in Europe and the EU's largest investor in Vietnam. Bilateral trade in 2022 reached 11.09 billion USD, up 32% compared to 2021.

In terms of investment, the Netherlands has about 400 projects with a total capital of 13.5 billion USD. The two countries also cooperate in climate change adaptation and water management, sustainable agriculture and food security. Cooperation in this area includes military shipbuilding contracts with the Damen Group and peacekeeping training courses in the Netherlands.

The two sides cooperate in the fields of climate change, maritime and waterway sectors; aviation; sharing experiences and enhancing capacity for the transport sector.

In terms of education and training, many Dutch schools and Vietnamese training institutions have established cooperative relationships in higher education.

Recognizing the close and friendly relationship between the two countries, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar said that the Netherlands and Vietnam naturally became partners based on priority areas including climate change adaptation and water management, agriculture, oil and gas, marine economy and logistics services.

Ambassador Kees van Baar said that Vietnam and the Netherlands have many things in common. Both countries have economies based on international trade and investment, have large deltas, face serious water and climate change challenges, and both countries' agricultural sectors are export-oriented.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Ngo Huong Nam affirmed that Vietnam and the Netherlands have now become important and priority partners in the region. The Ambassador expressed his hope that during the visit, high-tech enterprises will invest in the Vietnamese market and contribute to strengthening the relationship between the two countries.

Vietnamnet.vn