Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands will pay an official visit to Vietnam next week, in a bid to boost ties between the two countries. On Monday and Tuesday, they will stay in the capital Hanoi, followed by two days in the city of Ho Chi Minh, formerly known as Saigon. As the visit will focus particularly on trade, the royal pair will be accompanied by Foreign Trade Minister Henk Bleker and Deputy Infrastructure and Environment Minister Joop Atsma.

80 Dutch businesses on mission
Sectors like water, agriculture, transport, logistics, oil and gas will dominate the economic agenda in a bid to flesh out strategic partnerships between Vietnam and the Netherlands in the areas of water management and climate change. The prince and princess will meet with Vietnamese ministers and authorities and attend various seminars. Experts and representatives from some 80 Dutch businesses – including ABN Amro bank, engineering concern DHV and oil giant Shell - will also participate in the talks. It is expected that more than 20 agreements will be signed, the China Daily reports.

In Hanoi, the Port of Rotterdam Authority will hold a presentation on its business model. Prince Willem-Alexander and Mr Atsma will also visit companies in Ho Chi Minh specialised in water infrastructure, such as Saigon New Port, Vietnam’s largest container port operator. Princess Máxima and Mr Bleker will call in to successful Dutch businesses in Vietnam, such as milk-based product manufacturer FrieslandCampina, animal feed producer De Heus Voeders and Nedspice, specialist in the sourcing and processing of spices.

Some time for the past
Aside from business, some time will be put aside for cultural activities. The royal couple will visit the Temple of Literature, a millennium-old Confucian monument, formerly the oldest university in Vietnam. Students who have studied in the Netherlands will also be in attendance.

With 139 projects receiving Dutch financial backing in Vietnam, the Netherlands is currently the largest EU investor in Vietnam. Up to December 2010, these projects - primarily related to water management, health and the environment - were worth in excess of 3.8 billion euros. The crown prince visited Vietnam earlier in 2005.

(jn)

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