Hanoi (VNA) - The year 2024 marked a new chapter in Vietnam-Netherlands relations, building upon the momentum of the two countries’ 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. It has demonstrated the diversity of Vietnam-Netherlands partnership through achievements across multiple sectors, said Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam Kees van Baar.
In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2025, the Dutch diplomat shared his assessments of Vietnam’s socio-economic development and international integration in 2024, the development of the two countries’ relations in various fields, and the potential for cooperation in semi-conductor industry.
The following is the full text of the interview:
Reporter: What do you think about Vietnam’s socio-economic development and international integration in 2024?
Ambassador Kees van Baar: As we reflect on 2024, Vietnam has demonstrated the resilience and growth in its socio-economic development. The country exceeded its economic growth targets, driven primarily by robust export performance and increased foreign direct investment. These achievements are particularly noteworthy considering the challenges faced, including the impact of natural disasters such as super storm Yagi back in September. This strong economic performance has established a solid foundation for Vietnam's continued growth in 2025.
In 2024, Vietnam continued to maintain one of the highest GDP growth rates in the ASEAN region, while its export value reached another milestone. This economic performance reinforces Vietnam's position as one of Asia's fastest-growing economies.
The inflow of foreign investment in high-technology sectors, particularly in semiconductors and AI, heightened the need for skilled workforce. Vietnam's digital transformation efforts in 2024 were particularly noteworthy. This digital push has facilitated improved efficiency in public services, enhanced business operations, and created new opportunities for innovation and growth.
Beside economic successes, I can tell that Vietnam also flourished in its social and cultural developments in 2024. My big congratulations to the national football team with their recent victory in the ASEAN Cup 2024.
On the international front, the country's dedication to international integration, coupled with Vietnam's growing economic influence, has further solidified its role as an important player in the Asia-Pacific region. Vietnam's balanced approach to development, combining economic growth with sustainable practices, digital transformation, and international cooperation, positions the country well for continued success in 2025 and beyond.
Reporter: Can you share major results of cooperation programmes and projects between Vietnam and the Netherlands in 2024?
Ambassador Kees van Baar: The year 2024 marked a new chapter in Vietnam-Netherlands relations, building upon the momentum of our 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. It has demonstrated the diversity of our partnership through achievements across multiple sectors.
The Netherlands' strong commitment to the economic partnership with Vietnam was prominent last year, demonstrated through two significant trade missions, one in March on the occasion of the visit by the two Dutch ministers with 80 Dutch businesses, and another in November during the Green Economy Forum and Exhibition with 51 Dutch businesses. These trade missions open new business opportunities and underscore the growing confidence of Dutch businesses in Vietnam's market potential. The extensive participation of Dutch companies, research institutions and CSOs across other events throughout the year reflects our strategic commitment to fostering green and inclusive economic growth in Vietnam through long-term partnerships and knowledge exchange.
Supporting Vietnam's international trade integration has been a key priority. Through programmes like Ready2Export, we provided capacity training for Vietnamese SMEs in agriculture, textiles, garments, and manufacturing sectors, helping them adapt to new EU directives such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Understanding and practicing to comply with these directives are crucial for Vietnamese businesses to unlock new export opportunities. In the field of agriculture, Vietnam and the Netherlands are working closely together to prepare Vietnamese agricultural exports, particularly in the coffee sector, for compliance with the EUDR as the Netherlands is a key stakeholder from the EU. Beyond these initiatives, 2024 saw the deepened collaboration in areas where the Netherlands and Vietnam have longstanding partnerships such as water management, climate, maritime, port developments as well as emerging sectors such as high-tech and circular technology.
Our partnership extended beyond economic ties to include important developments in defence cooperation, human rights, arts and people to people relations. The first ever visit of His Netherlands Majesty’s Navy Ship TROMP to Hai Phong port in May 2024 symbolised our relations in naval cooperation and commitment to the international law of the sea. I am very happy that the UNCAT cooperation programme would be implemented in the phase 2024-2026 where the Dutch Clingendael Institute can work together with Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security. The revitalised collaboration between the Institute of Social Studies and the Human Rights Institute of Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy demonstrates our shared commitment to advancing human rights understanding and implementation. Cultural exchange remained vibrant, with the Netherlands being a major supporter of BridgeFest, an unique music and community festival showcasing Vietnamese social organisations’ participation to the human economy. The meaningful and inspirational workshops of the Dutch disability advocate and influencer Eva Eikhout in Hanoi connected people, bringing inclusive arts and empowerment within Vietnam's disability community.
These achievements across multiple sectors demonstrate the depth and strength of our bilateral relationship. As we move into 2025, we look forward to building upon these successes and further strengthening the partnership between our two nations.
Reporter: With a diverse and cohesive semiconductor ecosystem in the Brainport Eindhoven region, the Netherlands has long been a global leader in the semiconductor industry, especially in the equipment market. On average, 85% of the integrated circuits in electronic devices worldwide are made on machines that are designed and manufactured in the Netherlands. How can the Netherlands support Vietnam in this field?
Ambassador Kees van Baar: The Dutch semiconductor value chain is much broader than just a few global giants. It is an interconnected network of over 300 suppliers across multiple tiers and various fields – everything from mechanics, mechatronics, optics, to engineering services, and more. These smaller companies represent 41% of the sector’s revenue and 59% of its employment. And here’s another interesting fact: about 80% of the value of a chipmaking machine made in the Netherlands comes from its supplier network. This might be very interesting for Vietnam: Supplying parts and components to this sector is a huge opportunity for Vietnam, given its growing manufacturing capabilities and supporting industries.
While Dutch companies like Lucassen Precision Asia, Sioux Technologies and NXP Semiconductors have been present here for over a decade, recent investments by Besi, VDL ETG, and Tecnotion reflect Vietnam’s current progress in this sector. It is now time for Vietnam to create the right circumstances to accelerate the growth by further strengthening its workforce, enhancing its ecosystem design, refining regulations, setting up efficient one-stop-shops for businesses, and improving infrastructure, particularly in energy and digital domains. The Netherlands is ready to partner in these efforts, bringing new business opportunities, training collaborations, and our experience on building a high tech ecosystem.
In 2022, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited Brainport Eindhoven – the Dutch high-tech hub. In 2023, our former Prime Minister Rutte visited Vietnam with a large high-tech business delegation.
We successfully participated and contributed to the SEMIExpo Vietnam last November, and during the year, numerous activities for students in this field had been organised in Vietnam, Malaysia and the Netherlands. We are keen to continue and deepen the cooperation with Vietnam in this sector, as to leverage the position of Vietnam in the supply chain. Strengthening Vietnam’s semiconductor industry will create more diversity in the global supply, thereby benefiting Vietnam, the Netherlands, and other countries.
Reporter: Assessing both opportunities and challenges domestically, regionally, and globally, the Communist Party of Vietnam, led by General Secretary To Lam, affirmed that Vietnam is standing at a historical moment, a new era - the era of rising for the Vietnamese nation, requiring a profound change in leadership methods, enhancing leadership capabilities to guide the nation forward. How do you assess the actions Vietnam is taking?
Ambassador Kees van Baar: The new generation of Vietnamese leadership has established institutional reform as a critical imperative. This agenda holds particular significance for the business community, as reformed institutional frameworks and effective governance mechanisms will reduce barriers and foster an environment conducive to private sector development. One of the positive signals from the European business community in Vietnam, including Dutch businesses, is the fact that the most recent EuroCham Vietnam's Business Confidence Index 2024 has reached its highest point in the last two years. I hope the agenda will soon be materialised to foster the private sector to flourish, as well as for Vietnam to attract more quality FDI to make substantial contributions to the nation's sustainable and inclusive economic development.
General Secretary To Lam has once rightfully emphasized the importance of people as the driving force and should be put at heart of all policies and actions. That is a visionary strategy to deal with a world nowadays full of challenges, conflicts, and changes. The Netherlands stands ready to cooperate with Vietnam across economic activities while strengthening the workforce, particularly high-skilled talent, at the same time, working together on solutions to turn challenges into plenty of opportunities. And I fully trust that in 2025 and in the years to come, we would have plenty of opportunities to broaden and strengthen our economic relations as well as cooperation in other domains such as the international rule of law, human rights, arts and culture exchange, and people to people relations, to foster an inclusive and sustainable economic development for everybody.
In 2025, we are welcoming the Year of the Snake, a symbol of wisdom, resilience, and inner strength – the qualities essential for navigating in an increasingly volatile world. The Snake also represents change, transformation, and growth, and I firmly believe Vietnam will achieve even greater progress in the coming year.
As Tet is around the corner, I wish you all health, harmony, prosperity, and the best of luck.
Reporter: Thank you very much!
