TVU – On March 21, 2024, Mr. Le Van Han, Chairman of Tra Vinh Provincial People’s Committee; Prof., Dr. Pham Tiet Khanh, Chairman of Tra Vinh University Council, Chairman of Vietnam Community College Association; Associate Prof., Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa, Rector of Tra Vinh University, and the delegation attended the Vietnam – Netherlands Business Forum held in Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam – Netherlands Business Forum is jointly organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam and the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City to promote sustainable agricultural development, adapting to climate change in the Mekong Delta region through scientific, technological, and financial solutions. The event occurred in the context of celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations. The Dutch business delegation, including 140 members, led by the Minister of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality – C.van der WalZegglink, and the Minister of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management – Mark Harbes, came and worked in Vietnam from March 18-21, 2024.
At the forum, there was the attendance of Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City; representatives of leaders of People’s Committees of provinces in the Mekong Delta region; representatives of ministries and branches.
On the Dutch side, there were Mrs. C. van der Wal-Zeggelink, Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; Mr. Mark Harbes, Minister of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management; Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vietnam, Kees van Baar, and 140 members of the business delegation from the Netherlands and many Vietnamese businesses.
The forum began with the signing 18 agreements between businesses of the two countries in many fields to serve green growth and sustainable development. There, businesses participated in group discussions on 3 topics directly related to the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta: Finding solutions to sweeten the situation of saltwater intrusion, digital collaboration, and connecting the delta to promote activities that contribute to the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in the face of the challenge of climate change.
At the forum, Tra Vinh University and the Vietnam Community College Association signed a memorandum of cooperation with Dutch partner – The Water Agency in the Mekong Delta Youth Connection Program.
Prof., Dr. Pham Tiet Khanh said: “Through this program, we hope to attract students and young professionals to participate in activities that have a strong impact in promoting international cooperation and developing leadership capabilities, guiding, sharing knowledge and improving skills of young people, contributing to the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta in particular and Vietnam in general against the impact of climate change.
The signing program was followed by a discussion on the potential and prospects of cooperation between Vietnamese and Dutch businesses in the Mekong Delta region, especially in the context that this region has suffered many negative impacts of climate change.
At the event, Vietnamese and Dutch businesses discussed the topics of interest in the Mekong Delta, including finding solutions to sweeten water to deal with saltwater intrusion, digital collaboration, and connecting the delta.
Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Bich – Deputy Director, Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Tra Vinh University, participated in a discussion with Dutch experts on “Sweet solutions for salty challenges,” finding suitable solutions for the actual conditions of each locality and each farmer to develop agriculture in the Mekong Delta in a sustainable way in the face of increasingly complex climate changes and saltwater intrusion.
On this occasion, Dr. Tran Thi Ngoc Bich shared the difficulties and losses in agriculture and aquaculture that people in the Mekong Delta region face, strategic plans for Mekong Delta development for the period 2021-2030, Vision 2050, determining green agricultural transformation, favorable natural conditions, solutions based on nature; plant varieties adapted to high salinity and enhancing biodiversity are priority solutions for implementation at farm households. The cooperation with Institutes, Schools, and domestic and foreign organizations, especially partners from the Netherlands, brings appropriate solutions to help Vietnam sustainably develop the Mekong Delta.
Associate Professor., Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa, Rector of Tra Vinh University (2nd from the left), met and discussed with Mr. Gregor van Essen, Director of The Water Agency (1st from the left); Prof. Harry Futselaar, Senior Water Specialist, Saxion University of Applied Sciences (4th from the left) – two of eight main members of the Mekong Salt Lab project.
For information about the Mekong Salt Lab Project, please visit the following website: https://thesaltlab.org/
By My Nhien
