The Netherlands Trade Mission to Vietnam has held a networking event in Ho Chi Minh City to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Vietnam, as well as to promote green business, culture and sustainability between stakeholders of the two countries.

From Monday to Thursday, the trade mission, led by the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers and the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Christianne van der Wal, spent a visit to Vietnam.

The sectors in focus of the trade mission were water tech and management, agrifood and horticulture, and green and digitalised logistics.

On Tuesday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a reception to the mission at the Government Office in Hanoi.

Under the framework of the visit, the networking night took place at the Independence Palace in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 on Thursday, connecting businesses, organizations, local governments and individuals and contributing to bilateral trading and people-to-people exchange.

Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie with a design from Vu Thao’s collection at the networking event on March 21, 2024. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

According to Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar, the event featured the linkages and sustainability between two countries.

“Together, we bring the best to the bilateral relations, in terms of economy, trading, culture and society,” the ambassador said.

Joining the event, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai claimed the city's steadfast commitment to its collaborative ties with the Netherlands, as well as acknowledgement of the support from the Dutch government and partners in a variety of sectors.

Mai said Ho Chi Minh City has developed strategies for green development until 2050, so it needs the Dutch experience.

“We welcome Dutch investors to Ho Chi Minh City for green infrastructure development, green industry, green consumption and green finance, and for the building of a green metropolis,” Mai said.

The event also included two sustainable fashion collections by Vietnamese designer Vu Thao and the Vietnamese Dutch designer Xuan Thu.

Thao shared with Tuoi Tre News that her team spent six months preparing the materials.

The team planted organic plants for the materials, such as cotton and hemp. Moreover, the items of her collection were dyed using natural substances.

For designer Xuan Thu, her collection conveyed the message of raising the Vietnamese consumers’ awareness of slow fashion, as well as the origins of the items.

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