Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Cao Chinh Thien made the statement during an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 45^th anniversary of bilateral ties.

Mr. Thien said that in the 5 years since the establishment of a strategic partnership, Vietnam and Italy have seen many achievements, an increased exchange of delegations at various levels, and deepening bilateral ties and mutual understanding. Italy’s leaders said they are determined to boost multi-faceted cooperation with Vietnam and consider Vietnam a priority country in Southeast Asia and a destination for Italian firms from now until 2020.  

Vietnam has become Italy’s largest trade partner in ASEAN and more and more Italian enterprises want to invest in Vietnam.

To lift their relations to a new height, Ambassador Thien called for new channels of cooperation between small and super-small businesses, support for the expansion of export markets, promoting of culture and tourism, and increasing cooperation in science, education, and people-to-people exchanges.