Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan (R) receives Vice Minister for Foreign Economic Relations of the Netherlands Hanneke Schuiling. (Photo: VNA)

He made the remake while hosting a reception for Vice Minister for Foreign Economic Relations of the Netherlands Hanneke Schuiling, who was paying a working visit to Viet Nam.

Hoan expressed his delight as the relations between Viet Nam and the Netherlands have been thriving since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1973, especially after the countries set up a strategic partnership on climate change adaptation and water management in 2010, and signed an agreement on strategic partnership on sustainable agriculture and food safety in April 2014.

The Netherlands is currently the fifth largest investor in HCM City with 161 projects valued at nearly 5 billion USD.

The city is facing some issues in its development such as urban transport, waste management and environmental pollution, hoping to connect with Dutch scientists and businesses so as to find solutions to climate change, flooding and sea level rise, he added.

The southern hub of Viet Nam has yet to fully tap the potential of its seaports and welcomes the authorities of Rotterdam to inspect and promote investment cooperation between the two cities, notably in the construction and development of a port system.

For her part, Schuiling congratulated HCM City on overcoming difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and rolling out economic recovery measures.

Dutch businesses operating in the city highly valued the cooperation potential between the Netherlands and Viet Nam in general and HCM City in particular, she underlined, especially in climate change adaptation and agricultural production.

In regards to cooperation between Dutch localities and HCM City, she said the Mayor of Rotterdam has paid due attention to and wanted to visit the Vietnamese southern largest economic hub to step up cooperation in developing seaports and responding to climate change.

The Netherlands is home to numerous firms specialising in building green infrastructure and urban projects, and they are hoping to partner with HCM City in the fields of mutual concern and development potential, Schuiling underlined.