|
(VEN) - The Netherlands injected US$2.2 billion worth in total investment capital in Vietnam in the first half of 2010, 300-fold more year on year, reflecting exceptional Dutch investment growth into the country. Dutch businesses are also forecast to pump more capital into Vietnam in the coming period.
Until December 2009, the Netherlands was still the second largest EU investors in Vietnam with 124 on-going projects valued at over US$2.9 billion in total registered capital, shortening the gap with France, a leading EU investor, with US$3 billion. The country created an investment breakthrough in Vietnam in the first half of 2010 with the Mong Duong 2 coal-burned thermo-power project valued at US2.1 billion in northern Quang Ninh province, of this AES Group contributed 90 percent of the total capital and the remaining 10 percent was filled up by the Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) to establish the Mong Duong AES-TKV Power Company. AES is a US group active in power sources development and power distribution; however, as its headquarters is based on the Netherlands, this capital amount is taken as Dutch investment. Dutch General Consul in Ho Chi Minh City, Jos Schellaars, said scores of overseas companies have placed head offices in the Netherlands to favor tax incentives given by Dutch government. The General Consul also added that Dutch businesses were particularly interested in Vietnamese investment projects and a great many of investment promotion programs were introduced thus far.
In 2010, the Netherlands reportedly provides Vietnam with an aid package amounting to 18 million euros to boost the quality of tertiary and postgraduate education in Vietnam from 2010-2014 through introducing latest teaching methodology and providing teaching materials and equipment to Vietnam. The program will focus on particular areas Vietnam needs support in professional knowledge that are Dutch advantages such as agriculture, integrated water resources management and ways to respond to climate changes, shipping, health and vocation-oriented higher education. The program's key objective is to train human resources to meet practical demands in Vietnam's labor market.
Pim Schuurman, representing the Netherlands-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce Executive Board, said Dutch businesses were interested in strengthening and expanding cooperation with Vietnam, in the meantime wishing to find new opportunities and fields of investment. He asserted that Dutch businesses hail Vietnamese Government efforts to better local investment environment such as slashing tax rates, developing infrastructure such as building wharves, oil refineries and nuclear power plants.
Dutch businesses have increased investment into ports and logistics which are its advantages and many other fields such as agriculture, oil and gas and this will continue in the near term. Besides, they do not want to miss the chance to invest in potential areas in Vietnam like real estate and retail. One typical example is the Promenada@Canary Project, an impressive shopping plaza and entertainment complex in Binh Duong province that will be developed by Dutch ECC, a reputed property group. Covering 82,000sq.m and costing US$100 million the project will terminate its first phase of construction in the third quarter of 2011 and the second phase in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Apart from this, Dutch Government and businesses are finding ample opportunities in the use and management of water resources (water supply and management, flood control, etc.) in Vietnam. With a wealth of experience in combating climate changes and water resources management the Netherlands, a nation with one third of the territory lying below the sea surface, undertakes to foster cooperation with Vietnam, spotlighting measures that will help Vietnam become adaptable to climate changes in the next 50-100 years in the Red River, the Mekong Delta and coastal areas. Besides, official development assistance (ODA) projects will be reduced in number to augment other cooperative forms such as bilateral agreements or public-private partnership (PPP), and this is a way for the Netherlands to raise investment in Vietnam./.
By My An
|