The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, began an official visit to Vietnam on June 16 to further strengthen diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries. Talks and meetings will be focused on the Netherlands’ strength, including climate change and water management, agriculture, marine-based economy, oil and gas, energy, and logistics. An agriculture and food security partnership agreement is expected to be signed during the visit. Both sides will also look to realise a strategic partnership agreement on climate change adaptation and water management. Dutch companies will also meet with their Vietnamese counterparts to discuss cooperation and sign business deals. Vietnam and the Netherlands established diplomatic ties on April 9, 1973. The two countries have since maintained fine political relations through high-level exchange visits, supporting bilateral cooperation, especially in economics, trade, education and training. The Netherlands has worked closely together with Vietnam in successfully organising the 5th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Hanoi in 2004, and drafting documents on development issues, climate change, and green growth at the G20 meeting. Economic-trade ties between Vietnam and the Netherlands have grown and flourished over the years. Although the Netherlands has a smaller population size compared to other EU member states, two-way trade between the two countries has increased annually, hitting over US$3.6 billion last year. The Netherlands is now Vietnam’s third largest importer in Europe after Germany and the UK. As of 2013, it ranked 11th among foreign investors in Vietnam, with 192 projects capitalised at US$6.29 billion.                                                                                                                                                                       VOV