Heineken to channel additional $500 mln into Vietnam

Dutch brewery giant Heineken will pour a further $500 million into Vietnam in the coming years, where its total investment has reached $1 billion, said CEO Dolf van den Brink.

During his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in the Netherlands’ The Hague on Sunday, Brink said Heineken has been one of the top three foreign contributers to Vietnam’s state budget over the years.

He praised the Southeast Asian nation for having made strong commitments to respond to climate change with a target of zero emissions by 2050.

Brink suggested Vietnam’s government introduce a mechanism for direct power purchase and sale, including solar and wind power.

The PM on the same day visited Brainport Eindhoven, considered the Silicon Valley of Europe, in Eindhoven, North Brabant province, where he had working sessions with leaders of the province, Brainport Eindhoven, and other major companies.

He called on the European country to help Vietnam build an innovation and startup center in Hanoi similar to Brainport Industries Campus in Eindhoven.

During his meetings with executives from the Dutch corporations, he discussed innovation and high-tech manufacturing.

Arnout Damen, CEO of Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, said the Dutch shipbuilder plans to invest an additional $100 million in Vietnam’s shipbuilding industry and wanted to support Vietnam in developing a carbon free transport system.

Maarten de Vries, CEO of AkzoNobel Paint, mentioned intellectual property issues and investment in logistics. He said his company was in a position to work with Vietnam in response to climate change.

Replying to comments from the Dutch businesses, PM Chinh said that towards Vietnam’s carbon neutrality by 2050, the country enforces several measures simultaneously including cutting greenhouse gas and gas emissions, fostering afforestation, developing renewable energy, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

The Vietnamese leader informed the Dutch corporations of the orientation of the cooperation relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands from a development partnership to a mutually beneficial partnership in the time to come.