Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region and Vietnam’s southern Binh Duong province boast economic similarities, a favourable foundation for them to develop an economic partnership, Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Nguyen Hoang Long said at a recent workshop.

He suggested both sides optimise mechanisms provided by central Governments and local authorities to turn their cooperation into a role model of Vietnamese-Italian relations.

Emilia-Romagna’s exports to Vietnam now stand at 121 million EUR (135.87 million USD) with 40 percent from machinery, said Palma Costi – an official of the region – at the May 6 function, deeming the figure modest.

She also highlighted the observable 27 percent increase in her region’s shipments to Vietnam from 2012 to 2013, stating that Emilia-Romagna prioritises its relations with the Southeast Asian country and is willing to offer mid- and long-term assistance.

Cooperation between Emilia-Romagna and Vietnam’s southern Binh Duong province has enjoyed substantial strides in recently years, as evidenced by a number of visits and working sessions between their officials and entrepreneurs since 2013. The upcoming establishment of Emilia-Romagna’s trade office in the Vietnamese province will promote the region’s investments in Binh Duong, Costi added.

Laura Barberi from the Italian Ministry of Economic Development declared Vietnam is attractive to Italian companies, including those from Emilia-Romagna.

The European country prioritises partnering with Vietnam in consumer products, textiles-garments, and leather footwear manufacturing. It is calling on leather product makers to invest in Vietnam and plans to open a textile-garment supporting technology centre, she said.

Presenting his province’s advantages, Chairman of the Binh Duong People’s Committee Tran Van Nam said the province is located in the southern key economic region – the most active and developed economic region in Vietnam. It attracted 1.74 billion USD in capital from 171 new projects and 145 existing ones in 2014.

Binh Duong has focused on comprehensively developing socio-economic and transport infrastructure, especially facilities connecting the locality with nearby economic hubs, he added.

Nam pledged optimal conditions for the support industry, hi-tech projects, and those producing goods with high competitiveness, especially electronic, electrical and mechanical products.-VNA