Vietnam, Netherlands reach MoU on civil aviation cooperation

Vietnam and the Netherlands have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation on civil aviation between the two countries, opening up opportunities for collaboration, investment and business in the field as well as in other branches of transport.

Representatives from the Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration and the Netherlands signed the MoU in Hanoi on October 24, in the presence of Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat, Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade of the Netherlands Marten van den Berg and Ambassador of the Netherlands in Vietnam Nienke Trooster.

At the ceremony, the two sides exchanged views on issues of mutual concern about the potential for development cooperation, such as maritime transport, port management, shipbuilding and civil aviation.

Deputy Minister Nhat said that Vietnam was among the seven countries with the fastest pace of aviation development in the world and that the potential for the development of aviation in Vietnam was enormous. The transport official informed the Dutch side of the Government of Vietnam’s project of building Long Thanh International Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai, which is to have a capacity of up to 100 million passengers a year.

The Ministry of Transport welcomed Dutch firms participating and investing in the international airport and continuing to support Vietnam in training aviation personnel, including flight control and State management in civil aviation, the deputy minister stressed.

Praising the experience of the Dutch with devising policies on port development, Nhat said Vietnam had sent several missions to the Netherlands to study the hosts’ port authority model.

Regarding shipbuilding, according to Nhat, Vietnam is on track to develop the industry and is willing to learn from the Netherlands’ experience. He mentioned an example of effective cooperation between the two countries in this field, namely the joint venture Damen–Song Cam Shipyard in Hai Phong, and urged the Netherlands to pay more attention to the plant’s operations.

Deputy Minister Nhat also agreed with the Dutch side’s proposal to open shipping routes from Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City or Cai Mep–Thi Vai and Lach Huyen Ports to the Netherlands and would task maritime transport companies with studying the route.

For his part, the Dutch deputy minister said that owning many of the world’s largest seaports and having ample experience with port management, the Netherlands would help Vietnam in the field, as by increasing cooperation between ports in Ho Chi Minh City and Rotterdam Port, as well as with cooperation between Damen and its Vietnamese partners.

Aviation is also an area in which the Netherlands is experienced in management and exploitation. Van den Berg also said that the Dutch government had selected nine key sectors in the field of transport in which to strengthen international cooperation, including transport logistics and aviation. This would create favourable conditions for cooperation between the two countries in particular fields, contributing to further enhancing trade and investment relations between the two, he added.

The Dutch deputy minister also stressed the importance of the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the European Union. To implement this agreement in the best way and bring benefits to both parties, van den Berg suggested making thorough preparations, especially in terms of infrastructure, including infrastructure for transport, and effective management skills to effectively exploit Vietnam’s assets.

Van den Berg is currently leading a Dutch business delegation consisting of 34 Dutch companies and knowledge institutions on a visit to Vietnam from October 24-25 to explore further business opportunities in the country in aviation, agri-food, renewable energy and maritime infrastructure.

Source: NDO

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