By Roy Lie Atjam
The Hague, 8 April 2022. The Malietoren served as a backdrop for Connecting Vietnam and the Netherlands in one business platform conference. Organizers, the Embassy of Vietnam, the Dutch Business Association Vietnam(DBAV) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce(NVCC)
The collaboration enables DBAV/NVCC to offer a single Dutch-Vietnamese business platform to businesses professionals in both countries. Thanks to the members and databases, an effective network has been created.
H.E. Ambassador Pham Viet Anh was the guest of honour at the conference. Guests were welcomed by Mr. Koos van Eijk in the name of DBAV, NVCC, NL in Business and NL Works.
The first speaker Mr. Joost Vrancken Peeters chairman of NVCC recounts how the cooperation came about. Next was a recorded message by Mr. Guido van Rooy, Executive Director for DBAV in Ho Chi Minh City.
Other speakers are the host, Ms. Lise Hordijk, International Business Manager NL in Business. NL in Business is the driving force behind DBAV. Mr Koos van Eijk introduced the keynote speaker, H.E.Mr Pham Viet Anh, Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
“It’s my great pleasure to join you in this significant event, when DBAV stands with NVCC after 2 tough years of Covid pandemic. And I see it’s also the very first event organized by 2 associations after the official announcement of the collaboration in one platform to enhance our trade and investment relations.
I have followed your footsteps.
DBAV is so active in Viet Nam with lots of supportive activities for your members and really a voice of Dutch businesses in Viet Nam and I could see that clearly through the pandemic time. Despites many difficulties and impacts on many businesses, DBAV and their members were always besides us with big contribution in many kinds to the government, to the local authorities and to businesses as well.
And for NVCC, I have witnessed your supports extended to our activities in the past few years, especially when we had high level delegates to the Netherlands. NVCC is the platform helping Dutch and Dutch Vietnamese businesses to exchange their interests in trading and investment in Viet Nam. But, I see NVCC looking for Vietnamese enterprises willing focus to Netherlands market. And I’m happy whith that.
Dear friends, what you did has been admirable. Not because of the size, scope, but because of the practical meaning of your actions to Dutch and Vietnamese businesses in Vietnam, energizing all to overcome challenges of the pandemic and develop. You have stayed in Vietnam, trusted Vietnam, and determined to develop the Dutch business community in Vietnam. Your commitment has been a source of encouragement for us.
On this opportunity, we are also deeply thankful to Dutch businesses for their precious support of medical equipment to Vietnam. We, Vietnamese have a proverb meaning “a corner of bread when hungry is more precious than the banquet when full”. For these reasons, once again, I would like to convey to you our grattitude and appreciation.
Back to our even, firstly, I would like to congratulate DBAV and NVCC for creating a platform to effectively implement your tasks. The linkage of DBAV and NVCC gave me one more illustration of the Dutch key to success: unity makes strength, as you have done to build up the Netherlands, rising from the lowlands and expanding trade to foreign markets.
Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to suggest two associations, to further spread the spirit of this platform of DBAV and NVCC, to connect more widely, and to share your methodology and technology with Vietnamese businesses, especially in the sectors that Viet Nam really need, such as: circular economy, water treatment, agriculture …We would like to become a country of production and not only a country of raw materials.
Last, but not least, I would like to wish the collaboration between 2 associations will be successful to bring benefits to both Dutch and Vietnamese businesses and effectively contribute to enhance the bilateral trade and investment. The Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands, as well as the Dutch Embassy in Hanoi and the Dutch Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City (and I’m sur) are always your trustful companions and ready to help. Wish you all health and success!”
Mr Koos van Eijk introduces the last speaker, a new member, Mr Laurens Maartenns Business Manager at Netherlands Global Payment StoneX. Maartens is an experienced banker. Was director at UBS, Rabobank, and StoneX Bank, held various other positions in the financial world.
A Q&A session followed.
The Vietnam – Netherlands promotional afternoon brilliantly concluded with the shooting of a family portrait and a subsequent reception.
