Vietnam, Netherlands set sights on stronger comprehensive partnership

The agreement was reached during a phone call between Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten on August 11, discussing the progress of bilateral ties and new directions to unlock their potential and bring the Comprehensive Partnership to a higher level.

The two sides agreed that cooperation still has significant room to grow, particularly as both countries face new opportunities and challenges arising from rapid changes in the regional and global landscape.

PM Hung congratulated the Netherlands on its socio-economic and foreign policy achievements and thanked the country for identifying Vietnam as a leading strategic partner in Southeast Asia under its new foreign policy. He affirmed Vietnam's wish to further strengthen its multifaceted ties with the Netherlands.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister said the Netherlands' strengths in science and technology, innovation and high-tech industries are highly complementary to Vietnam's development priorities as the country enters a new phase driven by institutional reform, science and technology, innovation and higher productivity.

Expanding economic and technology ties

PM Hung proposed making economic, trade, investment and financial cooperation a key pillar of bilateral relations, while making full use of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

He called on the Dutch parliament to accelerate ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), which he said would create more favourable conditions for businesses from both countries to expand their markets.

The two sides were also encouraged to strengthen financial and capital-market links and attract international resources to Vietnam's international financial centre and capital markets.

Looking to new areas of cooperation, the Vietnamese Prime Minister proposed turning science, technology and innovation into a new pillar of bilateral ties, alongside stronger collaboration in green and digital transformation and sustainable development.

He called for early agreement on cooperation in science and technology, innovation and semiconductor technology, as well as the development of R&D centres, high-quality human resources and links between Vietnamese businesses and Dutch semiconductor supply chains, particularly with ASML.

Education and people-to-people exchanges would also be expanded, with Vietnam proposing more Dutch scholarships and greater access for Vietnamese students to programmes in AI, semiconductors, science and technology and the blue economy.

Dutch businesses encouraged to expand in Vietnam

PM Jetten for his part welcomed Vietnam's ambitious development goals, particularly its target of maintaining double-digit GDP growth, describing this as a huge opportunity for the two countries to expand cooperation.

He said the Netherlands wants to become an important partner of Vietnam in the region and is ready to broaden and deepen bilateral ties, including working towards upgrading the relationship.

Jetten also expressed a desire to send Dutch business delegations to Vietnam to explore new opportunities, strengthen the Netherlands' presence in the Vietnamese market and expand cooperation in the region.

He welcomed Vietnam's visa exemption for Dutch tourists and noted that Vietnam Airlines' direct service between the two countries, launched in June 2026, would facilitate travel, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

The Dutch Prime Minister also reaffirmed the Netherlands' commitment to actively accelerating the ratification of the EVIPA.

New momentum for the Comprehensive Partnership

The two Prime Ministers agreed to make better use of the two existing strategic partnership frameworks on climate change response and water management, established in 2010, and sustainable agriculture and food security, established in 2014.

They also discussed stronger coordination at multilateral and international forums and exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern.

The two sides stressed the strategic importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation and overflight, in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The phone call, the first between the two Prime Ministers, set out a range of new cooperation priorities, from trade and investment to semiconductors, technology, green and digital transformation, education and people-to-people ties.

The discussions are expected to provide fresh momentum for the Vietnam-Netherlands Comprehensive Partnership and create a stronger foundation for cooperation in areas that can support sustainable growth in both countries.

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