HCM City ready to serve as a bridge linking Italy with Vietnam and ASEAN: official

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.

At the meeting between Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc and Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Della Seta (Photo: VNA)
At the meeting between Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Van Duoc and Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Della Seta (Photo: VNA)

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. /.

VNA

See more

Local residents and visitors tour and shop at a fair. (Photo: VNA)

Made in Vietnam Fair set to open in Hanoi

The Made in Vietnam Fair will showcase a wide range of products, including industrial and consumer goods, processed foods, agricultural produce and handicrafts, with the participation of distribution systems, e-commerce platforms, digital platforms and digital financial solution providers operating in Vietnam.

2025 a good year for Vietnam’s securities sector: SSC

2025 a good year for Vietnam’s securities sector: SSC

During the year, the SSC made significant progress in improving the legal and policy framework. Institutional work was implemented in a coordinated manner, including the issuance of two decrees, one resolution, seven circulars and three major schemes. At the same time, the regulator strengthened policy dialogue and expanded cooperation with international organisations to support the market upgrade process.

Vietnam shows strong FDI performance in the first 11 months of 2025 (Source: vtv.vn)

Vietnam shifting FDI attraction focus from volume to quality

As production relocation to Southeast Asia accelerates and competition for FDI intensifies, Vietnam faces increasing pressure from regional rivals such as India, Malaysia and Indonesia, which are offering bold tax incentives and developing specialised industrial parks. This reality requires Vietnam to shift its focus from attracting large volumes of capital to drawing high-quality investment, prioritising core technologies, innovation, value chain linkages and higher localisation rates.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Hoang Nguyen Dinh inspects IUU fishing prevention efforts at Hung Thai Port in Long Hai commune. (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City steps up oversight of unqualified fishing vessels

HCM City currently has 4,475 fishing vessels, all of which have been registered and updated on the VNFishbase system. Among them, 4,268 vessels, or 95.37%, have been granted fishing licences, while 207 unqualified vessels are being strictly managed and kept ashore.

Airlangga Hartarto (fifth from right), Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, and CEO of VinFast Asia Pham Sanh Chau (sixth from right) at the plant opening ceremony on December 15. (Photo: VinFast)

VinFast inaugurates EV plant in Indonesia

The VinFast Subang plant was completed and put into operation just 17 months after groundbreaking, demonstrating the company's rapid execution capability and strong implementation capacity. This is VinFast's fourth operational facility worldwide, and its first plant in Indonesia and Southeast Asia outside of Vietnam.

From early December, major retail chains in Ho Chi Minh City have recorded a noticeable increase in shoppers seeking Tet products. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City businesses ramp up production to meet Lunar New Year demand

From early December, major retail chains in the city have recorded a noticeable increase in shoppers seeking Tet products. Many consumers are taking advantage of promotional programmes to purchase gift items with long shelf lives, such as confectionery, soft drinks and processed foods, well ahead of the holiday peak.

Workers process fish to be tinned for export at KTC Canned Food Factory under Kien Giang Trading JSC. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam to host seminar on export growth strategies

Vietnam's exports rose 16.1% to 430.2 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2025, while total trade hit 839.8 billion USD during the same period. This strong performance shows that exports remain a key driver of economic growth, boosting Vietnam's standing on the world stage in recent years.

The vessel carrying the 2 millionth TEU arrives at Hai Phong Port. (Photo:VNA)

Hai Phong Port reaches 2-million-TEU milestone

Handling the 2 millionth TEU in 2025 not only demonstrates Hai Phong Port’s operational capacity and the collective efforts of its workforce, but also highlights its increasingly important role in regional and global supply chains, the confidence of shipping lines, logistics firms and the business community, and the effectiveness of policies to improve the investment climate and strengthen maritime infrastructure and services.

Melons labelled with traceability codes on display at the Song Van agricultural produce store in Ninh Binh city, Ninh Binh province. (Photo: VNA)

Tracing origins hindered by fragmented data systems

As the Government accelerates the digital economy, establishing a unified national traceability system has become a crucial move to end data fragmentation and disconnection among ministries, sectors and localities.