Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 9 led a delegation to visit the Benelux Union, which includes three neighboring monarchies of Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium, until December 16.
| Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh leaves Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, on December 9 for the trip to Benelux. Photo: VGP |
Prime Minister Chinh's official visit to the three European Union countries is expected to boost Vietnam's international relations between now and 2030, as mapped out by the leadership.
The trip to Benelux is also expected to help strengthen the relationships between Vietnam and Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium in the context that Vietnam is heading towards celebrating the 50th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with the three European nations.
Belgium is one of Vietnam's strategic partners in agriculture and the sixth-largest export market in Europe for Vietnam. The trade value between Vietnam and Belgium reached a record of US$4.3 billion in 2021, up 54% year-on-year.
After Vietnam and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1973, the European country began providing official development assistance (ODA) loans to Vietnam, focusing on humanitarian issues, education and training, and healthcare.
In October 2010, Vietnam and the Netherlands signed a strategic partnership agreement on climate change response and water management, then a strategic partnership agreement on sustainable agriculture and food security in June 2014. In 2021, the two nations saw bilateral trade increase by 10% year on year to $8.37 billion. In terms of investment, the Netherlands is running roughly 380 projects worth $13.7 billion in Vietnam.
Luxembourg, one of the world's leading financial centers, is home to many multinational financial companies and is the third largest EU investor in Vietnam, with a total investment of US$2.6 billion. Luxembourg expects to invest in green growth in Vietnam.
During the official visit to Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium, Prime Minister Chinh and the Vietnamese delegation will attend the ASEAN-EU Summit to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the ASEAN-EU relationship.
Members of the delegation include Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, Deputy Minister of National Defense Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Duy Ngoc, and leaders of provincial authorities and government agencies.
