Quang Tri enhances partnership with Dutch PUM to boost local businesses

The central province of Quang Tri continues to enhance international cooperation in business development as the provincial People’s Committee Vice Chairman Hoang Nam met with a delegation from PUM Netherlands Senior Experts (PUM) on March 18.

The delegation was led by Sven Dekker, PUM’s national director in Vietnam. During the meeting, Sven Dekker said that PUM, a Dutch government agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been running capacity-building programs for businesses in Quang Tri since 2019.

Vice Chairman of the Quang Tri Provincial People’s Committee Hoang Nam presents a certificate of merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee to Mr Sven Dekker. – Photo: M.D

Over the past years, PUM has organized 10 training programs and established a startup incubation program, supported by seven senior experts from the Netherlands. These initiatives focus on corporate governance, marketing and sales, ecotourism development, agricultural tourism, and community-based tourism.

Among the key programs, PUM has provided support for the startup incubator at Quang Tri Trading Corporation JSC, assisted in developing community-based ecotourism in Huong Hoa District, and trained businesses on tourism management, product development, and sustainable agricultural tourism. The organization has also provided technical and operational consulting for local businesses, including support for Vietnam Agricultural Tourism Cooperative in launching “Khe Sanh Coffee Tour,” Quang Tri’s first professional agritourism product.

Additionally, PUM has conducted marketing and sales training for agricultural cooperatives and provincial agencies. Through these initiatives, PUM’s experts seasoned professionals from Europe have helped local businesses modernize their operations, improve financial management, and enhance market competitiveness.

Their training covers branding, data analytics, human resource management, and agricultural production. Nam appreciated PUM’s contributions and Sven Dekker’s personal efforts in supporting Quang Tri’s business sector. He expressed hope for continued collaboration, particularly in sustainable agriculture, tourism, and environmentally friendly production. He also encouraged Bert Jan Post, who will succeed Sven Dekker, to further develop training programs for young professionals in Quang Tri, strengthen the local healthcare system’s management capacity, and assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in accessing international markets, particularly in Europe and the Netherlands.

The Quang Tri Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center has been assigned as the focal point for coordinating PUM’s business support initiatives in collaboration with provincial departments and agencies.

On this occasion, the People’s Committee of Quang Tri awarded a certificate of merit to Sven Dekker for his significant contributions to enhancing local business capacity from 2019 to 2025.

Hoang Nam