Ambassador of the Netherlands to Việt Nam Kees van Baar. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The year 2024 marked a new chapter in Việt Nam-Netherlands relations, building upon the momentum of the two countries’ 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. It has demonstrated the diversity of Việt Nam-Netherlands partnership through achievements across multiple sectors, said Ambassador of the Netherlands to Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam’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.

What do you think about Việt Nam's socio-economic development and international integration in 2024?

As we reflect on 2024, Việt Nam has demonstrated 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 Việt Nam's continued growth in 2025.

In 2024, Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam'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 a skilled workforce. Việt Nam'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.

Besides economic successes, I can tell that Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam's growing economic influence, has further solidified its role as an important player in the Asia-Pacific region. Việt Nam'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.

Can you share the major results of cooperation programmes and projects between Việt Nam and the Netherlands in 2024?

The year 2024 marked a new chapter in Việt Nam-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 Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam'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 Việt Nam through long-term partnerships and knowledge exchange.

Supporting Việt Nam'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 practising to comply with these directives are crucial for Vietnamese businesses to unlock new export opportunities.

In the field of agriculture, Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam 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 Hải Phòng 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 2024-26 where the Dutch Clingendael Institute can work together with Việt Nam's Ministry of Public Security. The revitalised collaboration between the Institute of Social Studies and the Human Rights Institute of Hồ Chí Minh National Academy of Politics 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 Hà Nội connected people, bringing inclusive arts and empowerment within Việt Nam'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.

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính meets a business delegation from the Netherlands, led by Ingrid Thijssen, chair of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW), in Hà Nội in March 2024. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

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 per cent 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 Việt Nam in this field?

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 per cent of the sector’s revenue and 59 per cent of its employment. And here’s another interesting fact: about 80 per cent of the value of a chipmaking machine made in the Netherlands comes from its supplier network. This might be very interesting for Việt Nam: Supplying parts and components to this sector is a huge opportunity for Việt Nam, 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 Việt Nam's current progress in this sector.

It is now time for Việt Nam 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 Phạm Minh Chính visited Brainport Eindhoven – the Dutch high-tech hub. In 2023, our former Prime Minister Rutte visited Việt Nam with a large high-tech business delegation.

We successfully participated and contributed to the SEMIExpo Việt Nam last November, and during the year, numerous activities for students in this field had been organised in Việt Nam, Malaysia and the Netherlands. We are keen to continue and deepen the cooperation with Việt Nam in this sector, as to leverage the position of Việt Nam in the supply chain. Strengthening Việt Nam's semiconductor industry will create more diversity in the global supply, thereby benefiting Việt Nam, the Netherlands, and other countries.

Assessing both opportunities and challenges domestically, regionally and globally, the Communist Party of Việt Nam, led by General Secretary Tô Lâm, affirmed that Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam is taking?

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 Việt Nam, including Dutch businesses, is the fact that the most recent EuroCham Việt Nam'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 Việt Nam to attract more quality FDI to make substantial contributions to the nation's sustainable and inclusive economic development.

General Secretary Tô Lâm has once rightfully emphasised 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 Việt Nam 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.

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 Việt Nam will achieve even greater progress in the coming year. I wish you all health, harmony, prosperity, and the best of luck. — VNA/VNS