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Dutch–Vietnam AgriTech Partnerships: Building on Proven Success

Dante Bui

October 9, 2025

The Vietnam–Netherlands partnership in agriculture has quietly become one of the most productive international collaborations in this vertical. Over the past decade, the two countries have built a strategic alliance spanning water management, crop innovation, and sustainable aquaculture.

Lately we’ve been discussing how the Vietnamese market is ripe for the arrival of innovators in agriculture. As one of the biggest agriculture exporters in the world, Vietnam has all the conditions to follow the footsteps of the Netherlands, from government incentives to various operational fundamentals. Technology will be vital for whether Vietnam can make the leap, but it is not without precedents. Let us explore how the success stories are setting up the stage for more.

Seeds of Shared Innovation

Dutch seed companies have become a cornerstone of Vietnam’s agricultural modernization. At Langbiang Farm (Lâm Đồng), a partnership between Rijk Zwaan and Vietnamese growers boosted vegetable yields by 15–30%, while enabling local producers to meet EU-standard export requirements.

Meanwhile, Bejo and Enza Zaden have set up R&D centers in Hà Nam and Lâm Đồng to develop seed varieties tailored for Vietnam’s climate. Today, around 80% of vegetables sold in major supermarket chains originate from Dutch-approved genetics — showing how technology transfer, when localized, can lift entire industries.

This success isn’t just about yield. It’s about how Dutch know-how empowers Vietnamese farmers to compete globally, with higher quality and traceable standards.

Water and Aquaculture: The Delta Connection

The Dutch–Vietnam Mekong Delta Business Forum (2024) marked a decade of deep cooperation on water and aquaculture (Agroberichten Buitenland).

Dutch water experts and firms such as Royal HaskoningDHV helped craft Vietnam’s Mekong Delta master plan, addressing critical challenges like mangrove restoration, flood control, and saltwater intrusion.

Through these collaborations, Dutch innovation in pumping, drainage, and delta management is now protecting rice paddies and fish farms across one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. It’s not just engineering — it’s resilience building.

Circular Growth and Green Innovation

As Vietnam embraces circular agriculture, Dutch influence can be seen across pilot projects, training programs, and sustainable investments.

Embassy-funded initiatives are helping farmers adopt organic fertilizers and low-input farming, while Dutch companies like Royal De Heus and AkzoNobel invest in greener production chains.

Even in finance, the Netherlands plays a role: BlueOrchard, a Dutch impact fund, invested in Vietnamese AgriTech platform Techcoop, reflecting international confidence in Vietnam’s fast-growing AgriTech ecosystem (ASEAN Briefing).

Together, these examples show how Dutch AgriTech — from seeds to sensors — is not just exporting technology but co-creating new agricultural models in Vietnam.

Trade, Regulation, and the Competitive Edge

The EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has slashed tariffs and unlocked a new era of cooperation. Bilateral trade between Vietnam and the Netherlands surged to $13.8 billion in 2024, up 26% year-on-year.

The Netherlands is now Vietnam’s largest European investor and second-largest EU export market, serving as a gateway for Vietnamese seafood, coffee, and fruits into Europe.

But opportunity brings responsibility. EU consumers demand traceability, safety, and sustainability, creating strong incentives for Vietnamese producers to adopt AgriTech solutions in compliance and data-driven quality control.

Legal safeguards under the EVIPA further protect foreign investors, while Vietnam’s 2025 Land Law reforms are shaping clearer rules for joint ventures and agricultural leases. For Dutch firms, this means operating within predictable, EU-aligned frameworks — a rare advantage in emerging markets.

A Partnership with Global Relevance

The Vietnam–Netherlands relationship goes far beyond bilateral trade. It’s a template for how developed and developing economies can co-innovate to achieve sustainable growth.

For Vietnam, Dutch collaboration accelerates its journey toward high-value, climate-resilient agriculture.

For the Netherlands, Vietnam offers fertile ground to test and scale AgriTech models that could be replicated across Asia and Africa.

This is more than diplomacy — it’s the future of agricultural globalization: local knowledge meets global standards, technology meets tradition, sustainability meets shared prosperity.

In a world searching for scalable solutions to food security and climate challenges, the Dutch–Vietnam AgriTech partnership stands as proof that the best way forward is together.

At Vitex, we help Dutch companies enter and scale in Vietnam with confidence – we have a wide spectrum of expertise in technology development & go-to-market. We have successfully worked with various global partners in cross-region expansion. We can support you too! Please don’t hesitate to contact our colleagues Tony Bui , Lars van den Bos , Annie Nguyen to get the discussions going.