Addressing the event, Ambassador Ngo Huong Nam reviewed the glorious history of national construction and defence of Vietnam over the past 78 years as well as the country's achievements in external relations, politics, economy and international integration.
Vietnam always treasures and is grateful for the valuable and practical support from international friends, including the Netherlands, he said.
Looking back on the 50-year ties between Vietnam and the Netherlands, the diplomat said that the two countries have become each other's important and priority partners. Currently, the Netherlands is the biggest investor of Vietnam with an investment of 13.7 billion USD, and the largest European importer of Vietnam with two-way trade reaching over 11 billion USD.
He said that the upcoming Vietnam visit by Dutch PM Mark Rutte in November is expected to bring Dutch high-tech firms, especially those in the semiconductor industry to Vietnam, contributing to promoting the relations between the two countries.
Wouter Jurgens from the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the similarities between the two countries and the fruitful bilateral strategic partnership on climate change, sustainable agriculture and food security, as well as the bilateral comprehensive partnership.
He said he hopes Vietnam will support the Netherlands in strengthening cooperation with ASEAN.
Also on September 29, the Vietnamese Embassy in Brussels also held a ceremony to celebrate the 78th National Day with the attendance of more than 200 guests.
Ambassador Nguyen Van Thao said that so far, Vietnam has set up strategic and comprehensive partnerships with 33 partners, while joining more than 70 international organisations and playing an active role in ASEAN.
The country has become the leading dynamic economy in the region and an important link in economic chains as well as regional and global production chains, a potential destination for high-quality investment flows with more than 500 cooperation agreements in various fields, including 17 free trade agreements (FTAs) both bilaterally and multilaterally, he noted.
He highlighted the growth of the Vietnam-Belgium relations over the last 50 years with strong political trust.
Since the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect, two-way trade has continuously grown impressively, reaching 6.2 billion EUR last year, an increase of 73% compared to 2021, he said. The ambassador pointed to great potential for cooperation between the two countries, especially in important fields such as modern agriculture, health care, logistics, seaport infrastructure, and pharmaceuticals.
Francois Delhaye from Belgium's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Cooperation expressed delight at the growth of the Vietnam-Netherlands relations and affirmed that Belgium is willing to support Vietnam in high technology transfer and capacity building.
Meanwhile Paola Pampaloni, European External Action Service (EEAS) Acting Managing Director for Asia and Pacific, affirmed that the EU considers Vietnam as a bright spot in EU's cooperation with the Indo-Pacific region.
She noted with pleasure that the two sides have signed firm cooperation frameworks and important agreements, including the EU-Vietnam Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), EVFTA, EU-Vietnam Framework Participation Agreement (FPA), and the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT).
Vietnam is considered a model of successful cooperation between the EU and the region in many important fields, such as trade, climate change response, and environmental protection, she said.
Pampaloni affirmed that in the coming time, the EU will continue to coordinate closely with Vietnam to implement cooperation agreements, and will further enhance experience sharing, technical support, and human resource training for Vietnam.
