During the meeting, Chairman Do Thanh Trung acknowledged and highly appreciated Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche’s contributions to strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Belgium and Viet Nam in general, and between Hai Phong and Belgian partners in particular. He also thanked the Ambassador for his continued support in helping the city establish connections with Belgian government agencies, organizations, businesses, and localities.
Growing Cooperation Between Hai Phong and Belgium
The Chairman emphasized that cooperation between Hai Phong and Belgian partners has become increasingly practical and effective. As of June 2026, Hai Phong hosts nine active Belgian foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with a combined registered investment capital exceeding US$761 million.
Among them, DEEP C Industrial Zones has been recognized as a leading model of an eco-industrial park and stood as a symbol of successful cooperation between Belgium, Viet Nam, and Hai Phong.
Expectations for Future Cooperation
Chairman Do Thanh Trung expressed his hope that in his future role, Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche would continue serving as a crucial bridge for cooperation between Hai Phong and Belgian localities, businesses, and organizations, particularly in the areas of investment and trade, logistics and port development, energy transition, green growth, high-quality human resource development, tourism and digital transformation 
The city also hopes that the Ambassador will continue supporting opportunities for Hai Phong officials to study and exchange experiences in Belgium, especially in environmental protection, an area in which Belgium is widely recognized for its expertise.
In addition, Hai Phong seeks to strengthen cultural exchanges with Belgian localities and collaborate on organizing Belgian cultural events in the port city, particularly the Belgian Beer Festival and other European cultural promotion activities, thereby enhancing mutual understanding and people-to-people ties.

Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche expressed his admiration for Hai Phong’s impressive socio-economic achievements in recent years. He noted that following the city's administrative expansion and consolidation, its economic scale and development potential have grown significantly, creating new opportunities for investment and trade cooperation.
The Ambassador recalled that Hai Phong was one of the first destinations he chose to visit when beginning his diplomatic mission in Vietnam. He added that, with support from the Belgian Embassy and European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Euro Cham), many Belgian enterprises have explored, expanded, and successfully redirected investment into Hai Phong.
He also highlighted the 2025 visit to Hai Phong by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde as a significant milestone that opened up new opportunities for cooperation between the two sides.
Ambassador Karl Van Den Bossche affirmed that regardless of his future position, he would continue to support connections and cooperation between Hai Phong and Belgian partners, contributing to the further development of friendship and collaboration between the two sides.