Hanoi (VNA)꧃ – The Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands held a ceremony on September 6 to celebrate the 79th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2).

In his speech, Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam recalled the glorious journey of the Vietnamese people over the past 79 years, highlighting their resilience and achievements in national defence and construction. He stressed that Vietnam and the Netherlands have become important and priority partners of each other, adding that the two countries will celebrate the 5th anniversary of Comprehensive partnership and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership in sustainable agriculture and food security this year. The Netherlands currently ranks 8th among 147 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with total registered capital of nearly 14.6 billion USD in 444 projects as of late July 2024. This makes the Netherlands the largest European investor in Vietnam. In the first seven months of this year, two-way trade reached nearly 7.7 billion USD, marking a year-on-year increase of 27.8% . Within the European Union (EU), the Netherlands has surpassed Germany to become Vietnam’s largest trading partner. The Netherlands has invested in 12 new projects and increased capital in seven others, bringing the total registered capital, adjusted investment, and share purchases to nearly 140 million USD. Dutch investments in Vietnam are primarily focused on energy, manufacturing, trade, services, logistics and warehouses. Conversely, Vietnam has 11 projects in the Netherlands with total registered capital of nearly 130 million USD, mainly in construction, trade, food services, software production, import and distribution of telecommunications equipment, electronics, automobiles, and components. Wouter Jurgens, Director for Asia and Oceania at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underscored the Netherlands' commitment to sustainable and inclusive development, coupled with good governance, transparency and predictability in the business environment. The Dutch Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to collaborate with stakeholders, including the private sector, to contribute to common prosperity and deliver benefits to the public through the development process, Jurgens said. Following the formal proceedings, distinguished guests and representatives of Vietnamese business and community enjoyed a captivating violin duet and savored traditional Vietnamese dishes./.