HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City stands ready to play the role of a “bridge” connecting Italy with Vietnam and the wider ASEAN region, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc said on November 13.
He made the statement while meeting with Marco Della Seta, Italian Ambassador to Vietnam and a delegation of Italian agencies, organisations and enterprises attending the 9th High-Level Dialogue on ASEAN–Italy Economic Relations.
He noted that Italy is among HCM City’s key European trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching nearly 450 million USD in the first half of 2025. Italy ranks 24th among the 129 countries and territories investing in the city, with total registered capital of nearly 135 million USD.
The city leader expressed hope for stronger cooperation with Italy in mobilising capital, providing credit guarantees, and developing strategic infrastructure projects in renewable energy, transport, logistics, water supply, drainage and environmental management. He also encouraged expanding public–private partnership (PPP) models and promoting collaboration in development research and technology transfer.
With the upcoming launch of Vietnam’s International Financial Centre in the city, Duoc expressed confidence that cooperation between Italy and Vietnam, particularly with the southern metropolis, will continue to grow substantially and effectively.
Ambassador Della Seta highlighted the city’s vibrant growth, saying it holds great potential for collaboration in areas such as high technology, logistics and shipbuilding. He also noted Italy’s strong interest in the city’s development into a major regional financial hub. The ambassador affirmed that both the Embassy and Consulate General of Italy in HCM City will support Italian firms in expanding ties with the city, focusing on common economic development goals.
The same day, the 9th High-Level Dialogue on ASEAN–Italy Economic Relations opened in HCM City, drawing more than 500 delegates from ASEAN and Italy, including officials, enterprises, experts and representatives from international organisations.
In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung reaffirmed the country’s role as a responsible ASEAN member, accompanying the region on its path of integration and sustainable growth. Vietnam, he said, is proud to be Italy’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and a strategic gateway for European investors.
He highlighted ASEAN’s significance as a bloc of 680 million people with a combined GDP of over 4 trillion USD, making it the world’s fifth-largest economy. ASEAN, he noted, has become a key link in global supply chains and an important driver of regional stability and growth.
Trung said Italy’s official recognition as a Development Partner of ASEAN marked a strategic step forward, reflecting both sides’ shared commitment to deeper economic and trade ties, knowledge exchange and sustainable development.
He also emphasised Vietnam’s national development strategy for 2021–2030, built on three strategic breakthroughs: perfecting market economic institutions, developing high-quality human resources, and building synchronous and smart infrastructure. These priorities, he said, will not only reinforce Vietnam’s growth but also open new cooperation opportunities between ASEAN and Italy.
In his speech, Duoc reiterated the city’s readiness to work with Italy and Europe in green economy, renewable energy towards Net Zero by 2050, smart infrastructure, sustainable logistics and urban planning. He also encouraged collaboration in education, research, training, culture, and creative tourism.
Participants at the dialogue agreed on four strategic directions for future cooperation, namely the Net Zero Pathway, smart manufacturing 4.0–5.0, next-generation infrastructure, and innovation and digital transformation.
Lorenzo Tavazzi, Senior Partner and Board Member of The European House – Ambrosetti, said the dialogue marked a shift from traditional trade to high-value cooperation based on technology and creativity, laying the foundation for joint development of green value chains, R&D centres, high-tech start-ups and smart logistics corridors.
Italy is currently Vietnam’s third-largest trading partner in the European Union. In the first seven months of 2025, two-way trade reached 4.3 billion USD, up 5.1% year on year. Italy currently operates 162 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of over 624 million USD. Vietnamese enterprises have invested in 11 projects in Italy with a combined value of nearly 700,000 USD. /.
Vietnam, Italy seek to strengthen cooperation in high-tech shipbuilding
The Vietnamese Government, he said, supports cooperative projects in advanced shipbuilding and will assist Fincantieri Group's projects and those of other foreign enterprises wishing to develop a green, clean and sustainable high-tech shipbuilding industry in Vietnam.
