Prime Minister Le Minh Hung holds phone conversation with Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten

Le expressed thanks to the Netherlands for regarding Viet Nam a leading strategic partner in the region under its new foreign policy, affirming that Viet Nam always attaches great importance and expects to further deepen its multifaceted cooperation with the Netherlands.

Le said that the Netherlands has strengths in science and technology, innovation, and the development of high-tech industries, while Viet Nam is entering a new era of development, with new requirements and drivers for growth, science and technology, and innovation. He said that this provides an important foundation for the two countries to expand cooperation, leverage their respective strengths, and elevate the Viet Nam–Netherlands Comprehensive Partnership to a new level.

The Vietnamese leader proposed that the two sides strengthen the exchange of delegations, particularly at high level, reinforce political trust, and work towards upgrading bilateral relations to a new level.

He also urged the two countries to continue supporting each other at multilateral and international forums.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister hailed the Netherlands' position as the largest investor and leading EU trade partner of Viet Nam, suggesting that the two sides make economic, trade and investment cooperation, as well as financial cooperation, a key pillar of bilateral relations.

He called on both sides to make full use of the EU–Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); and urged the Dutch Parliament to ratify the EU–Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) at an early date in order to facilitate businesses from both countries in expanding their markets.

Le also proposed connecting the two countries' financial and securities markets and attracting international resources to develop Viet Nam's International Financial Center and capital market.

He called for making more effective use of the two existing Strategic Partnership frameworks on climate change adaptation and water management (set up in 2010) and sustainable agriculture and food security ( set up in 2014).

The Vietnamese Prime Minister called for stronger ties in green and digital transformation and sustainable development and making science and technology and innovation a new pillar of bilateral cooperation.

The two countries should soon reach cooperation agreements in science and technology, innovation and semiconductor technology; place a strong focus on implementing R&D center projects and high-quality human resource training; and connect Vietnamese businesses with the Netherlands' semiconductor supply chain, particularly with ASML.

Le suggested the Netherlands provide more scholarships and expand opportunities for Vietnamese students to pursue studies and research in priority fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, science and technology, and the blue marine economy while simplifying visa procedures for Vietnamese visitors.

For his part, Jetten highly appreciated Viet Nam'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.

The Netherlands wishes to become an important partner of Viet Nam in the region and stands ready to expand and further deepen bilateral relations, with a view to upgrading ties between the two countries, he underlined.

He expressed his desire to organize delegations to Viet Nam to explore and expand cooperation opportunities, thereby increasing the Netherlands' presence in the Vietnamese market and the region.

The Netherlands is committed to actively accelerating the ratification process for the EVIPA, said Jetten.

The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, emphasizing the strategic importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the region and around the world, on the basis of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.