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| Tran Trong Dung, chairman of the Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City, spoke at the event on May 6 |
Tran Trong Dung, chairman of the Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City, said that in 2023, Vietnam-Netherlands bilateral trade exchange reached over US$9.9 billion.
Compared to 2022, bilateral trade turnover in the first 11 months of 2023 increased by 13.6%. In Ho Chi Minh City, the Netherlands is currently the largest investor in the European Union (EU) with a total investment capital of more than US$5.1 billion.
Ho Chi Minh City is also developing an action plan to implement a new phase of cooperation memorandum in related fields of flood prevention with the Netherlands.
Dung emphasized that in Vietnam-Netherlands relations, people-to-people diplomacy plays an important role.
The people of the two countries not only play the role of laying the foundation but also are the driving force contributing to the relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands. People and businesses are the center of economic diplomacy between the two countries. People’s benefits are the deciding factor in the effectiveness of cooperative projects.
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| Delegates at the event. |
The Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship Association was established two years ago on March 19, 2022.
The Association had many exciting and diverse activities, especially on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries (April 9, 1973 – April 9, 2023) such as giving membership cards, enrolling more than 20 new members, and establishing a bicycle club under the Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship Association.
Within the framework of activities to celebrate Dutch National Day, on April 20, the Association also organized a bike parade around the city center, attracting nearly 100 participants.
At the morning event on May 6, Daniel Stork, consul general of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Vietnamese and Dutch people both have the spirit of entrepreneurship and business.
He affirmed that the Netherlands is ready to share experience as well as areas of Dutch strength with Vietnam such as combating climate change.
Daniel Stork also added that he and his colleagues like living and working in Vietnam. They love the Vietnamese people. He expressed hope that the two countries will continue to cooperate closely in many fields in the coming time.
