HAGUE – Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Monday assured Dutch firms that Việt Nam was making a concerted effort to build a development-facilitating, transparent government, and create favourable conditions for businesses.

The PM made these remarks at a meeting with leaders of several large business groups in the Netherlands.

During his meeting with Damen Group, Phúc said Việt Nam prioritised its shipbuilding industry, both to boost the economy and enhance the country’s defence capabilities.

He lauded the contract between Damen and its Vietnamese partner to build six multi-functional ships, inked at the Việt Nam-Netherlands Business Forum on Monday. He requested Damen to continue its co-operation activities and technology transfer to Vietnamese enterprises so that they could manufacture special-purpose ships.

The PM also praised Puma Energy’s investment activities in Việt Nam during the past two decades while speaking to its executives. The group’s bitumen production and business in Việt Nam had contributed significantly to developing traffic infrastructure and helping Vietnamese engineers access modern and environment-friendly technologies, Phúc said.

Puma Energy’s head thanked the Vietnamese Government for facilitating foreign investment in the country, and expressed a desire to get involved in the equitisation of some of the State-owned enterprises.

Phúc said the Vietnamese Government would create the best possible conditions for investors from the Netherlands to do business in Việt Nam, at a meeting with Dutch enterprises and investors, which are seeking investment opportunities in Việt Nam, in The Hague.
The Vietnamese government leader briefed participants on key development indexes and the main characteristics of the national economy – which has a total export value of US$400 billion and GDP of about $160 billion.
Phúc affirmed that Việt Nam would facilitate the development of private investment funds, adding that the Netherlands is a strategic partner of Việt Nam in dealing with climate change.
The Vietnamese Government also paid attention to protecting legitimate rights and interest of foreign investors in the country, he noted.
According to the PM, thanks to efforts to better its legal system for foreign investment, Việt Nam attracted 23,600 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth over $320 billion.
Việt Nam signed 12 free trade agreements (FTA) with member countries of the G20, and was going to ink an FTA with the European Union, he said.
Meanwhile, investors from the Netherlands noted that Việt Nam boasts great potential for development and the Vietnamese Government’s policies and priorities related to sustainable development are key factors helping promote the country’s growth.
They asked questions about Việt Nam’s policies and orientations for developing key fields of its economy such as energy, finance, small and medium-sized enterprises, and investment fund.
They also shared their intention to invest or expand operations in Việt Nam, hoping to receive support from the PM, Government and relevant agencies.
Representatives from Việt Nam’s ministries and sectors replied to questions relating to policies to develop small- and medium-sized enterprises, renewable energy, and orientations to promote science-technology development in response to the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Late on Monday, Phúc hosted a reception for Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Philipp Roesler, during which he asked the WEF to support Việt Nam in effectively implementing FTAs, accelerating administrative reform, improving competitiveness, developing IT infrastructure and training human resources.
He also called on the forum to co-ordinate with Việt Nam in organising the WEF ASEAN 2018 in the country.
For his part, Philipp Roesler agreed to work with Việt Nam in implementing co-operative agreements signed between the two sides and in preparing for the conference.
He also pledged to continue sharing experience with Việt Nam and help the country promote its economy, fine-tune national competitiveness and boost international integration.
The WEF executive invited Phúc to attend an annual WEF meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2018.– VNS