Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception for the visiting Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, in Hanoi on April 9, during which the former hailed the latter’s second visit amid effective and dynamic cooperation between the two countries.

Vietnam is one of the Netherlands’ most important partners in the region, he added.

The guest noted with satisfaction the attraction of the Vietnamese market in particular and ASEAN market in general for Dutch businesses and partners and expressed his confidence that both sides will step up close cooperation in the time ahead. 

In reply, Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong extolled the Netherlands’ continued role as the biggest European investor in Vietnam, the second largest European trading partner, as well as being one of the major export markets of the Southeast Asian country. 

He hailed the building of a comprehensive partnership between the two sides to augment cooperation and meet the development requirements of the two countries, especially in areas with huge potential, such as renewable energy, high-quality agriculture, the food industry, seaport and logistics services, and smart urban development. 

He showed his appreciation for the close coordination between the two countries at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, ASEAN, and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), suggesting the Dutch side actively urge the European Union (EU) to finalize the legal review and procedures towards signing the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the Investment Protection Agreement between Vietnam and the EU.
-VOV