Italian Ambassador said there are many things to celebrate for Italy in Vietnam on this joyful occasion. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Attending the ceremony there were Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet and President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, Ambassador Nguyen Phương Nga, as well as Ambassador, Charge d’affairs and representatives of International Organizations.

In his opening remarks, Italian Ambassador said there are many things to celebrate for Italy in Vietnam on this joyful occasion: the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the 10^th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership, the trade record figure of 6.2 b USD in 2022, the growing number of exchange students and tourists, the flourishing of contacts and delegations in all areas.

According to the Ambassador, Italian National Day is an occasion to pay tribute to the Italian community that has made a great contribution to the economic, cultural and social life of their host country.

He took the ocassion to thank the Vietnamese authorities for the messages to their Italian counterparts on the recent floods in central Italy, which strengthens the determination of the two countries to fight climate change. For this reason, also, Italy is a strong supporter of the JETP in Vietnam, the Ambassador said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet emphasized on the similarities between Vietnamese and Italians. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

In his welcoming remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet emphasized on the similarities between Vietnamese and Italians as well as the strong growth of the partnership during the past decades.

The two countries have maintained their engagement at all levels, especially at the highest level. Vietnam is now Italy's top trading partner in Europe, and Vietnam is Italy's top trading partner in ASEAN. Major Italian corporations are successfully operating in Vietnam, like Piaggio, Fiat, Ariston, Bonfiglioli, Danieli... And there are more and more Italian luxury brands in Vietnam, more Ferraris and Maseratis on the streets of Hanoi and other cities, he noted.

He expressed his belief that the strong political trust, effective economic links and close people-to-people connections will help the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Italy to grow from strength to strength.

Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet and President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, Ambassador Nguyen Phương Nga raised their glasses in a toast.

The EVFTA and EVIPA, once ratified, will help further trade and investment between the two countries, he said and believed that Vietnam will become a destination for Italian tourists and investors, Vietnamese products such as fruits and seafood, coffee and fashion, garments and footwear... will have greater access to and presence in Italy, and the two countries will work ever closer security and defense, education and culture, science and technology, and bilaterally and at multilateral forums to address global challenges.

According to Italian Ambassador, to mark this year’s Italian National Day, the Embassy of Italy in Hanoi sets up a photographic exhibition along the fence of Casa Italia, with images from the Italian news agency ANSA and the Vietnam News Agency, capturing some moments in the history of the bilateral relations between Vietnam and Italy.