With the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, Vietnam will become an attractive destination for foreign investors as it boasts an abundant, young and skilled workforce.

So said Italy’s biggest economic daily “Il Sole 24 Ore ” in a recent article titled “ Vietnam: the signing of the TPP will bring new opportunities for foreign companies.”

The article, published on November 13, said that Vietnam, with its young population and rapid development, has integrated into the 610 million-strong ASEAN, one of the most attractive economic regions in Asia.

The upcoming TPP signing will allow Vietnam to share its prospects with a 12-country bloc that accounts for 40 percent of the world’s GDP and one third of global trade, it said, adding this is a big chance that Italian businesses can not miss.

According to the article, Vietnam is also attractive for investors because of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) it expects to sign with the European Union (EU) in 2014.

Through the FTA, the Italian Government hopes that Vietnam will open its door for foreign investors to areas that they find otherwise difficult to access, such as pharmaceuticals, financial services, phones and food.

Meanwhile, Italy ’s news agency ANSA described Vietnam as a gateway to the Southeast Asian market for made-in-Italy brands. It quoted Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Lorenzo Angeloni as saying that Vietnam is a country full of potential and acts as a bridge for Italy to reach out to major markets in Asia.

Italy now ranks ninth among EU countries investing in Vietnam , with 50 projects capitalised at 257 million USD by September this year.

Vietnam ’s exports to this European market increased to 1.8 billion USD last year.-VNA