Vietnam - Belgium: 40 Years of Fine Cooperation

 Belgium and Vietnam established close cooperation at all levels, in development cooperation, in education, in trade and investments, in culture.

 Today, Belgium and Vietnam agree to allocate 30 million Euros to a water and sanitation programme in the framework of climate change adaptation and mitigation in three provinces (Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Ha Tinh). The capacity of local governments will be strengthened to ensure that threats of rapid urbanisation and climate change are properly mitigated.

 In education and training, Belgium provided over 1700 scholarships to Vietnamese students over 40 years. A telling example is the many experts working from the University of Can Tho, who obtained their MA’s and PhD’s in Belgian Universities in the field of aquaculture. Also, the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management launched a MBA management at the Ho Chi Minh City Open University in 1994 and at the National Economy University of Hanoi in 1996. More than 15 years later these MBA programmes are widely recognised throughout Vietnam for their excellent quality. More than 1000 Vietnamese alumni have graduated from this program with an MBA.

 With an annual Official Development Assistance (ODA) of 20 million EUR, Belgium is Vietnam’s 6^th donor amongst the European countries.

 Trade and investments

With a 70 percent increase in trade between 2003 and 2011 and a narrowing trade deficit, Belgium and Vietnam can speak of healthy blossoming trade relations. Vietnam has found its way to the port of Antwerp (80 percent of its coffee export for Europe goes through this port). We see this as the best example for other Vietnamese export companies who are looking for direct and efficient access to the European Market: Belgium is clearly their best logistic hub for Europe.

 

 Belgian investments in Vietnam also play an important role. Dinh Vu Belgian - a joint venture between a Belgian company and Vietnam – is an excellent example of such an investment. This port and industrial zone manages more than 900 hectare industrial zone and is a direct Belgian investment of US$70 million. Since its inception it has handled more than 400,000 tones of cargo and is the recognised petrochemical transport hub of the Northern provinces. It is in expansion and continues to attract important investments such as Bridgestone who will build a tire production facility.

 Agreements reached between Vietnam and Belgium are also an important part of the bilateral relations. One such recent project is the agreement between Vietnam and a consortium of three Belgian High Tech companies to deliver a micro-satelite that will be launched by 2017. Another important agreement is the delivery of cyclotrones. These advanced medical equipments will enable Vietnamese hospitals to better treat and research cancer through nuclear medicine, as is presently already happening within Hospital 108 in Hanoi.

 Vietnamese enterprises have seized immense opportunities on the European market. The EU has become Vietnam’s major trade partner in 2012. The Coffee industry has seized the quality of Belgium’s infrastructure to get direct access to the European market. Another emerging Vietnamese sector is that of aquaculture. With investments and expertise from Belgian universities and business, this sector has evolved into a thriving dynamic business with lots of opportunities for export to Europe. The prime gateway to the European market for Vietnamese exports is Belgium with its top quality infrastructure and logistic services. My hope is that Vietnamese exports of soft commodities to Europe transit more through Belgian ports and airports to the benefit of both sides.

 As Vietnam has become world leader with soft commodities (coffee, rice, cashew, seafood, tea), Belgium has also become world leader in high tech-sectors. Our country is within the top-five producer of pharmaceuticals. All the micro-satellites from the European Space Agency have been developed by Belgian Companies. So, we can also offer Vietnam high technology as we do with the future micro-satellite or already did with sophisticated equipment for nuclear medicine.

Vietnam is a fascinating country with a thriving society and dynamic population. The country has great potential and a promising future. Vietnamese leaders are tackling the outstanding challenges and we are happy to be able to contribute to this endeavor. The population is warm hearted. It is always a pleasure to meet the people, in city or on the country side, and share their optimism and belief in the future. Vietnam has also fabulous landscapes, and has a rich nature. But I think that economic development has also brought some new challenges, as anywhere else in the world.

 

 Our partnership has matured, after forty years. Vietnam and Belgium have developed a more balanced, and complementary relationship. Our economy is an open, service based and competitive economy producing 80 percent of its added value through foreign trade. Belgium is ranked 17^th in the latest World Economic Forum’s competitiveness report. Our sophisticated companies, with their know-how and high tech capabilities can be a perfect match for Vietnamese partners. Belgium with its huge ports and freight airports, its connectivity to the European hinterland and consumers, should definitively become the prime entrée for Vietnamese exports to Europe. We have trained and will continue to train Vietnamese decision-makers and business leaders. Belgian Universities are of an outstanding quality, not expensive and all of them provide programs in English. So, on the Belgian side, my hope is to promote more investments by our companies in Vietnam and bring more Vietnamese exports to Europe through Belgium. On the Vietnamese side, my hope is that much more Vietnamese students and scholars chose to study at our universities and that more Vietnamese travelers will chose to visit Belgium with its rich cultural and historic heritage.