(VOVworld)- The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, began an official visit to Vietnam on Monday to further strengthen diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries.
Vietnam and the Netherlands established diplomatic ties 41 years ago, yet their trade ties had developed several years before that. In 1633, the first ship from the Netherlands came to Vietnam to buy rice, silk and chinaware kicking off the development of bilateral trade exchanges. Relations between the two countries have expanded in various fields. The increasing number of high-ranking visits has vividly proved the development of bilateral ties. In 2011, Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Maxima visited Vietnam. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visited the Netherlands the same year. Both countries implemented activities to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2013.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Hague The Netherlands in March 2014- Photo:Duc Tam/TTXVN |
Economic partnership and cooperation in climate change
Trade between Vietnam and the Netherlands has increased continuously over the years. The Netherlands is Vietnam’s 3rd largest market in Europe. In 2013, two-way trade totaled 3.6 billion USD. By 2013 the Netherlands ranked 11th among 96 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 192 projects worth nearly 6.3 billion USD. Major projects of the Netherlands in Vietnam include the Mong Duong Power Plant, valued at 2.1 billion USD and the Phu My Power Plant No 3 worth 410 million USD.
Over the years, Vietnam has become an important partner of the Netherlands. Sharing similarities has helped them become partners and friends in various fields. Both countries have wide plains and face climate change challenges from rising seas and increasing rainfall. Because they are strategically located coastal countries, they have become partners in maritime transportation and logistics. Vietnam and the Netherlands are strategic partners in water resource management and adaptation to climate change. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenendein signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement in October, 2010. An Inter-Governmental Committee meets annually to implement the Mekong Delta Plan and map out new plans to develop the region. Ho Chi Minh City and Rotterdam share a climate change program called “Ho Chi Minh City looks toward the sea”. 30 Dutch organizations and their Vietnamese partners are implementing a program called “Water and climate services in cross-border water resource management”.
Bilateral cooperation in education and health care
Tertiary education plays an important role in bilateral ties between Vietnam and the Netherlands. Since 1970, the Netherlands has provided several scholarships to Vietnamese students through the Netherlands Fellowship Program. Through the Netherlands Initiatives for Capacity Development in Higher Education, more than 10 million euros have been donated to strengthen post graduate education in agriculture, water resource management, climate change and vocational training in Vietnam. The Netherlands is one of Vietnam’s active partners in tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS prevention and control. The Medical Committee of the Netherlands and Vietnam has been operating in Vietnam for 45 years.
Ties between Vietnam and the Netherlands have developed rapidly over the years. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s visit to Vietnam is expected to open a new era of friendship and cooperation.