Forum pushes trade ties with Italy
HA NOI — Nearly 50 Italian and Vietnamese firms on Monday attended a seminar to promote economic, trade and investment co-operation between the two sides in Umbria.
Speaking at the event, organised by the Vietnamese Embassy, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said there has been a rising number of Italian businesses investing in the country as well as in other emerging markets.
He said that despite the ongoing economic crisis, the two countries were still actively strengthening bilateral relations, especially in the economy.
Tomaso Andreatta, a representative from Banca Intesa San Paolo in Southeast Asia, suggested Italian businesses invest in Viet Nam, saying that it was a potential destination with a favourable business environment and a gateway to help firms enter other Asian markets.
Andreatta named a number of successful projects in Viet Nam including Piaggio's motorcycle, Datalogic's scanner, Bonfiglioli's engine and Ariston's hot water heater production.
Dino Fortunato, investment and promotion expert at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), said his organisation had selected three potential Vietnamese sectors such as textiles, footwear and furniture to support.
In order to make co-operation commensurate with potential, Long urged Italy to support Viet Nam in technological training and apply preferential credit policies for doing business in the country. He said he also planned to promote the establishment of an Italy-Viet Nam training centre for local engineers and workers.
At the seminar, Vietnamese trade counsellor in Italy Bui Vuong Anh introduced the country's economic, trade and investment conditions in order for Italian businesses to have a clear map of action.
Anh said Viet Nam was negotiating to take part in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, which will further ease Italian investment in the country. — VNS