Vietnam - Netherlands: Strengthening cooperation for sustainable development in the Mekong Delta

Improve the quality

The event was held in a series of economic and trade cooperation activities between Vietnam and the Netherlands during the working visit to Vietnam of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Ministry of Nature and Nitrogen Policy of the Netherlands, along with 140 Dutch business members. The delegation focuses on water technology and management, agriculture food farming, green and smart logistics.

Attending the forum, on the Vietnamese side were Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam; Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung; Director of VCCI Can Tho Nguyen Phuong Lam; leaders of the People's Committees of the Mekong Delta provinces, representatives of Vietnamese ministries and branches.

On the Dutch side, there is Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management of Netherlands, Mark Harbers; Minister of Nature and Nitrogen Policy (Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) Christianne van der Wal; Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Vietnam, Kees van Baar; Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vietnam, Daniel Stork. The event attracted more than 300 delegates and guests.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam, the Vietnamese Government has issued Resolution 120 to develop the Mekong Delta, which establishes a Coordination Committee related to all fields of the Mekong Delta. The Mekong Delta is a key agricultural production region of the country. Of which, the region provides 56% of rice output, 70% of seafood, and 64% of fruit supplied to the country and for export.

However, Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam acknowledged that the Mekong Delta faces major challenges in climate change, the environment, and great price pressure. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development focuses on restructuring the agricultural sector to improve food quality, enhance value, and live with climate change for production.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam also said that the key problems in agricultural production in the Mekong Delta are subsidence and water and soil resources. Therefore, the Government has many solutions to overcome and minimize this problem.

18 cooperation agreements enhance sustainable development in the Mekong Delta

At the forum, 18 cooperation agreements between Vietnamese and Dutch businesses and units were signed in many fields to realize the potential of the Mekong Delta with the goal of building a sustainable agricultural value chain.

Projects focus on developing aquaculture and sustainable rice farming; Youth engagement program in the Mekong Delta; In particular, cooperate to solve the challenge of reducing freshwater resources due to saltwater intrusion and climate change in the Mekong Delta.

In addition, businesses from the two countries also agreed to cooperate in building sustainable product supply chains and efforts to export Vietnam's sustainable agricultural products to the Dutch and European markets...

At the forum, 3 discussion sessions focused on issues directly related to the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region such as "Sweet solutions for salty challenges"; “Digital cooperation”; "Ability to connect infrastructure and traffic in the Mekong Delta".

The Mekong Delta is the most important agricultural production region of Vietnam. However, this is one of the most vulnerable regions worldwide to the impacts of climate change. In recent years, saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta has become increasingly serious, affecting most of the region's area and causing heavy damage to millions of hectares of cultivated land and the livelihoods of thousands of households.

At the forum, delegates affirmed that the Vietnamese Government's Mekong Delta master plan to be implemented in 2022 is suitable for the long-term bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands. Along with that, the Netherlands continues to commit to cooperating with the Government of Vietnam, the private sector, and Vietnamese scientific and non-governmental organizations to successfully implement the master plan to help people and the economy. The economy and nature of the Mekong Delta region are developing strongly. Besides, delegates also considered challenges, opportunities and potentials to jointly find solutions to promote sustainable development for the Mekong Delta.

Mrs. Ingrid Thijssen, President of VNO-NCW, the Confederation of Netherlands' Industry and Employers, said that it is necessary to take early and specific actions to realize cooperation agreements, turn challenges into opportunities for cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands.

"There are countless opportunities for cooperation between our businesses. I believe that today's business delegation has seen the potential for cooperation in the Mekong Delta and that many companies participating in agriculture will make significant contributions to building the Mekong Delta for sustainable food development. In addition, Dutch water sector businesses have solutions to help Mekong Delta businesses protect water sources and people's livelihoods.

The Netherlands is one country that lives below sea level and has long lived in harmony with water. These are advantages for the Netherlands in sharing more with Vietnam.

In addition, the Netherlands has many aviation and seaport businesses. With the recent development of Vietnam's economy, I think these businesses want to cooperate with Vietnamese businesses to expand aviation and sea transport services in Vietnam." Mrs. Ingrid Thijssen said.