Ambassador Antonio Alessandro said he expects that, the visit to Italy by the Vietnamese State leader will contribute to updating the political relations between the two countries and orient their cooperation in all sectors.
“The upcoming visit to Italy by Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong has a great significance as it marks 50 years of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership,” he said.
According to the diplomat, there is a lot that Vietnam and Italy can give each other, with the former being a founding member of the EU and a G7 member and the latter being a prominent member of ASEAN and one of the most dynamic economies in the Indo-Pacific region.
The ambassador said trade and investment are the sectors in which Italy and Vietnam have achieved great results.
The two countries have posted the record figure of 6,2 billion USD in bilateral trade in 2022.
Vietnam is Italy’s largest trade partner in ASEAN and Italy is the second largest EU exporter to Vietnam.
"Italian investments are less impressive in volume, but very high in quality and very relevant for our respective economies. Some Italian investments are particularly visible and appreciated by the Vietnamese public," the ambassador said. "We also see some initial Vietnam's investments in Italy and we want to encourage them,” he added.
S&T, culture and creative industries, as well as protection of heritage, are further areas where bilateral cooperation has brought about important results.
Ambassador Antonio also mentioned the importance of people-to-people mobility such as tourism and student exchanges.
Regarding a plan to celebrate the two countries’ 50th anniversary, he said a wonderful photographic exhibition of some memorable moments in the Vietnam-Italy relations was exposed at Casa Italia. It was curated by the Italian news agency ANSA with photos also provided by the Vietnam News Agency in the framework of the cooperation agreement between the two agencies.
When being asked if he hosts a Vietnamese friend in Italy, and an Italian friend in Vietnam, what he will show him/her firstly about the countries, the Ambassador said in Italy he would take him to the Capitol, the heart of ancient Rome.
"In Italy I would take him to the Capitol, from where you see the “Foro Romano”, the heart of ancient Rome. There is exactly where President Vo Van Thuong will be accompanied, to discover the magic and history of the "eternal City", as we call Rome," the diplomat said.
In Vietnam he said he would choose the Temple of Literature, which is an inspiring place to capture the spirit of traditional Vietnam, and on the way to go there, watching the vibe of modern Vietnam./.
