Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands. — VNA/VNS Photo

The two countries established diplomatic relations on April 9, 1973.

Right after the establishment, the European country started to provide official development assistance and grants to Việt Nam, mostly in the field of human activities, education and training, and health care. Currently the Netherlands takes Việt Nam as a priority partner. The two sides regularly exchange high-level delegations. 

The Netherlands is an important partner of Việt Nam in Europe, and Việt Nam always attaches importance to its friendly relations and effective multifaceted cooperation with the Netherlands. 

Trade and investment cooperation between Việt Nam and the Netherlands have been growing steadily, with the latter currently Việt Nam’s largest export market in the EU.

In 2018, the trade values between the two nations reached US$7.84 billion.

Việt Nam exported mainly seafood, vegetables, cashew nuts, coffee, pepper, rice, chemical products and imported food, animal feed and raw materials, chemicals, chemical products and pharmaceuticals products from the Netherlands.

The Netherlands has always been one of the largest European investors in Việt Nam in recent years.

According to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, as of December 31, 2018, the Netherlands ranked 10th out of 129 countries and territories investing in Việt Nam with total registered capital of over US$9.3 billion. — VNS