Hundreds of people participated in a cycling tournament in Ho Chi Minh City on April 8 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Netherlands.
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| The event has been designed to also help connect local cycling communities, and more importantly raise public awareness of measures to keep the environment clean and green. Source: Consulate General of Netherlands in HCM City |
The Consulate General of the Netherlands in HCM City, in coordination with the Department of Transportation, the Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship Association, the Dutch Business Association Vietnam (DBAV), and the Dutch Cycling Embassy, organized a bike tour to promote the spirit of sports and exercise, and emphasize the participation of Vietnam and the Netherlands in issues related to green development and sustainable mobility, transportation in the city.
According to the Consulate General of Netherlands in HCM City, this event is part of the celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Netherlands.
The event not only provided an interesting and attractive experience, connecting the cycling community, but also promoted sustainability, reduced carbon emissions, improved air quality, and reduced the risk of car accidents by using bicycles as a means of transportation in the city.
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| To popularize environmental protection measures, all participants donned eco-friendly T-shirts made from 50% coffee grounds and 50% recycled PET. Source: Consulate General of Netherlands in HCM City |
In the cycling event, the Dutch Consul General, Daniel Stork joined in with everyone to wear friendly environment T-shirts made from 50% coffee yarn and 50% recycled PET. The T-shirts are designed with messages that the Netherlands always believes in: sustainability, green energy, e-mobility, and a focus on recycled materials.
HCM City used to be a city of bicycles and with collective efforts, it can become a bicycle city and promote sustainable transportation, just like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Paris in recent times.
When people think about the future of urban transportation, they often think of autonomous and electric vehicles or even flying vehicles. However, these solutions do not provide optimal answers to the real questions about sustainable transportation in the 21st century. The biggest challenge to sustainability in urban areas is often limited space and the risk of congestion with increased car usage. Using bicycles can provide an alternative solution to these issues.
Consul General Daniel Stork hopes that using bicycles will be a serious choice for daily commuting and going to work in HCM City.
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| People participated in a cycling tournament in Ho Chi Minh City. Source: Consulate General of Netherlands in HCM City |
From April 5 to 7, the Dutch Consulate General and experts from the Dutch Cycling Embassy also shared knowledge, experiences, and stories about cycling with university students.
This workshop was supported by the University of Economics HCM City to spread the message about cycling to more students.
The experts discussed and shared with UEH students about the cycling culture in the Netherlands, the benefits of cycling, and the history of building cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands. The workshop was successful and helped to open up opportunities and ideas for students – the future generation who will build and develop sustainable, green cities.
At present, HCM City is striving to make great efforts to become a cycling city like Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands in the future.
The Netherlands and Vietnam have been closely cooperating in areas of sustainable agriculture, water and green energy management, city development, and sustainable mobility.
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