Dutch national day marked in Ho Chi Minh City

Chairman of the Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship Association in HCM City (VNFAH) Tran Trong Dung (L) gives flowers to Daniel Coenraad Stork, Consul General of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations on April 20 held a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Netherlands (April 9, 1973-April 9 2023) and the Netherlands' King's Day - the birthday of King Willem-Alexander of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Vietnam-Netherlands Friendship Association in HCM City (VNFAH) Tran Trong Dung said that people-to-people ties between the two countries date back over 420 years, through trade exchange activities of Dutch traders in Hoi An port in central Vietnam. 

Over the past five decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations, bilateral ties have made great strides with cooperation spanning various sectors from politics-diplomacy to trade-investment, bringing practical benefits to both nations, he said.

Stressing that people-to-people diplomacy is an important driving force to promote friendship and cooperative relations between countries, Dung said the establishment of VNFAH aims to strengthen the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands.

Daniel Coenraad Stork, Consul General of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Netherlands and Vietnam are constantly upgrading their relationship, and are working together to address important global challenges such as climate change, sustainable agriculture, and water resource management.

The Netherlands and Vietnam have deep cultural connections and mutual trust, he said, adding that the Consulate General of the Netherlands in HCM City wishes to continue to maintain and further promote cooperation with the city's Union of Friendship Organisations./.