Viet Nam would do its best to create
favourable conditions for Dutch companies to do business and invest in Viet Nam
efficiently and in the long term, President Nguyen Minh Triet said yesterday,
March 28.

President Nguyen Minh Triet speaks to Dutch Prince Willem-Alexander yesterday on the occassion of his visit to Viet Nam. (Photo: VNS)

Triet
made the statement while welcoming Dutch Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess
Maxima, who are in Viet Nam for a four-day visit at the invitation of Deputy
Prime Minister cum Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem.

The

Netherlands’ delegation includes Henk Bleacher Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, State Secretary for Infrastructure
and Environment Joop Atsma and more than 90 Dutch enterprises.

In the
meeting, Triet said the visit would be a breakthrough in the friendly and
co-operative ties between the two countries.

The
President thanked the Dutch Government and people for their support for Viet Nam
during its struggle for national independence. He said their Official
Development Assistance capital had helped the country’s construction and
development progress.

Expressing his delight at the development of the bilateral economic, trade and
investment relationship, Triet affirmed that the

Netherlands was one of Europe’s leading investors in Viet Nam
and was the country’s fourth biggest importer in Europe.

He said
the Dutch enterprises that accompanied the Prince’s delegation would have
opportunities to meet Vietnamese counterparts with the hope of future
co-operation.

Prince
Willem-Alexander said he was impressed by Viet Nam’s socio-economic development
over the past years.

Princess Maxima and some ministers conveyed the Dutch Royal and
people’s friendly sentiment to the country and people, and affirmed that the

Netherlands was ready to become
Viet Nam’s partner in international fora.

Prince
Willem-Alexander said many Dutch companies were visiting Viet Nam, recognising
the importance of the country in the region and in the world. He added that
Dutch investors were keen on co-operating with Vietnamese partners in water,
agriculture, marine logistic, shipbuilding, oil and gas and financial sectors.

President Triet and Prince Willem-Alexander also discussed climate change.

Prince
Willem-Alexander noted that the

Netherlands and Viet Nam have common challenges in coping with
climate change and sea rising, saying the world had only mentioned mitigating
its effects but had not taken into account long-term plans and strategies to
combat it.

He
stressed the crucial role of Viet Nam in responding to the issue and said he
believed there would likely be a global conference on climate change next year.

Triet
said Viet Nam understands the challenges climate change poses. He highly valued
the acceptance of the

Netherlands’ former Minister of Agriculture Veer Man to be an
advisor to the Vietnamese Government in implementing the national programme on
climate change and sea rise response.

PM’s receipt

The same
day, Dutch Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima were also received by
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Dung
told the Dutch Prince and Princess that despite achievements, Viet Nam still
faced many difficulties in its socio-economic development.

Viet Nam
had built a 10-year sustainable development strategy from 2011 to 2020, focusing
on three pillars: sustainable economic growth, social equality and environmental
protection, he said.

To
realise these goals, Viet Nam has mobilised its resources and hopes to receive
assistance from international friends.

Dung
said that the full potential for co-operation between the two countries has not
yet been fully realised. He stressed that Viet Nam wants to boost co-operation
with the

Netherlands in the oil and gas, shipbuilding, banking, and
climate change response sectors.

For his
part, Prince Willem Alexander said this was his second visit to Viet Nam after
five year, adding that Viet Nam had seen rapid urbanisation and infrastructure
development.

The
Prince congratulated Viet Nam on its success as a full member of the World Trade
Organisation, non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and Chairman of
ASEAN 2010, which helped improve the country’s position in the international
arena.

The

Netherlands’ delegation also met with Deputy Prime Minister cum
Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem and Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development Cao Duc Phat. The Dutch affirmed their support for Viet Nam.

The two
sides’ ministries of agriculture are expected to sign a letter of co-operation
in irrigation, planting and animal husbandry and veterinary.

Credit access

Princess
Maxima of the

Netherlands offered to support the development of a sustainable
financial system in Viet Nam.

Princess
Maxima, who is also the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Advocate for
Inclusive Finance for Development, made this statement to permanent Deputy Prime
Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung in Ha Noi yesterday.

The
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander’s wife was impressed by Viet Nam’s achievements in
eradicating poverty and hunger. She emphasised the importance of financial
products, such as savings and insurance, which helps poor people access sources
of credit.

The
princess said apart from loans, savings are also useful for the poor, suggesting
that credit organisations unite with other organisations to provide sustainable
financial products to businesses and people, particularly those in rural areas.

Viet Nam
can take a short cut by using a number of credit organisation models, like
mobile and assigned banks and combining credit organisations and post systems
and shops to create the most favourable conditions for people to access loans,
insurance and savings, she said.

Deputy
Prime Minister Hung said the Vietnamese Government had done its best to
facilitate access to credit. However, Viet Nam remains a poor country with a
huge demand for capital and underdeveloped markets.

Viet Nam
wanted to learn from the

Netherlands to research and apply credit models that match Viet
Nam’s needs, said the Deputy PM.

He said
he hoped Princess Maxima would continue to assist Viet Nam in this endeavor.

The same
day, a seminar on business opportunities in Viet Nam was held in Ha Noi with the
participation of 90 Dutch businesses.

The

Netherlands is one of Europe’s biggest investors in Viet Nam
with a total registered capital of US$5.38 billion.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News