Promoting connection and expanding investment cooperation between Vietnamese and Dutch enterprises

Promote cooperation in high value-added sectors

At the meeting and working session with Ms. Aukje de Vries, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on November 11, 2025, in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long affirmed that Vietnam always considers the Netherlands as a leading important economic partner in Europe, and at the same time encourages the business communities of the two countries to strengthen connections, expand investment and promote bilateral trade towards high and sustainable added value.

The two sides emphasized that the economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands has continued to develop positively and substantially in recent times. The Netherlands is currently Vietnam's largest trading partner in Europe and one of the leading European investors in Vietnam. The two sides highly appreciated the potential to expand cooperation in traditional areas such as agriculture, water management, logistics, while promoting high value-added areas such as high technology, green transformation and sustainable development.

According to Vietnam Customs data, in the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnam exported more than 11.02 billion USD to the Netherlands, an increase of 3.1% over the same period in 2024 (ranking No. 1 in the value of imported goods from Vietnam in the EU). Regarding imports, in the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnam imported more than 663.9 million USD, an increase of 2.8% over the same period in 2024. Total two-way trade turnover in the first 10 months of 2025 reached more than 11.68 billion USD, an increase of 3.1% over the same period in 2024.

In the first 10 months of 2025, Vietnam exported to the Netherlands mainly items such as: computers, phones, cameras and electronic products (over 3.83 billion USD, up 1.59% over the same period last year), machinery and other equipment and spare parts with a value of nearly 1.83 billion USD (down 11.16% over the same period in 2024), leather and footwear, textiles and garments with values of 1.49 and 1.11 billion USD respectively with increases of 10.37% and 11.22% over the same period). In addition, some items with strong growth in value such as: coffee reaching approximately 300 million USD (up 87.9%), cashew nuts with a value of 410.6 million USD (up 21.8%), vegetables and fruits with a value of 135.7 million USD (up 43.75%)...

Regarding imports, Vietnam mainly imports machinery, equipment and spare parts (reaching 156.8 million USD, accounting for 23.6% of total import value), pharmaceuticals (reaching approximately 11.58% of total import value with a value of 76.9 million USD), chemicals and chemical products (reaching 4.18% of total import value with a value of 27.8 million USD), and auto spare parts (reaching 47.7 million USD, accounting for 7.18% of total import value).

In terms of investment, by the end of October 2025, the Netherlands ranked 9th with 466 projects and 14.93 billion USD out of 153 countries and territories directly investing in Vietnam, ranking first among EU countries currently investing in Vietnam.

Many new cooperation opportunities from EVFTA

Notably, in terms of trade and investment cooperation, the Vietnam - European Union Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has brought many new opportunities for the business communities of the two countries. The Netherlands has been considered the gateway to the European Union (EU) market, the leading transit point for goods in Europe and the world , for vegetables, tubers and fruits.

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in the Netherlands, with the upcoming EVFTA tax reduction roadmap, Vietnamese goods will continue to have more competitive advantages than many similar products from Asian countries. Therefore, the opportunity to develop this market is huge. Not to mention, the Netherlands is a gateway market and one of the largest cargo transit centers into Europe, helping to connect ports and industrial zones with Europe. From the port of Rotterdam - the main import point, Dutch and international traders will distribute products to many other EU countries.

However, the Netherlands and the EU are also demanding markets, with many regulations and high standards for goods in each industry that Vietnamese enterprises need to meet and comply with when exporting to this market. Meeting regulations and standards is difficult, especially for agricultural and food products, and maintaining a stable presence in the market is even more difficult.

Accordingly, the representative of the Vietnam Trade Office in the Netherlands recommends that in exporting to the Dutch market, businesses must prioritize compliance with market regulations, not to mention the increasing number of green and clean criteria that EU member countries set to protect local consumers and minimize environmental impacts. In addition, designing packaging and labels that are "suitable" to Dutch consumers is also very important. In addition to fully displaying product information according to regulations, there should be convenient instructions for use, especially for items and products that are new to users.

Tags: EVFTA, Ministry of Industry and Trade

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/thi-truong-nuoc-ngoai/thuc-day-ket-noi-va-mo-rong-hop-tac-dau-tu-giua-doanh-nghiep-viet-nam-va-ha-lan.html