In october a delegation of the province of Flevoland in the Netherlands visited Vietnam to establish commercial and research ties with Vietnam.
The delegation particpated in a conference on sustainable development. The delegation was also invited to visit Sunlight House and Thien Phuoc House. The consul of the Netherlands, mr. Simon van den Burg, joined the visit.
One of the projects is to introduce Bitter Gourd (Bitter Melon) to European consumers beacause of its health improving elements. Julia Kids Foundation is interested, as a bitter gourd farm may provide a platform for a new kids house. A joint project involving the University of Wageningen (NL), the Agrarian Institute of Dronten (NL), the Nom Lam University of Saigon, as well as a number of companies has been initiated to investigate the possibilities.