Ambassador pushes for closer ties between Vietnamese localities, Sicily region
Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung paid a working visit to Sicily from April 11-12 to boost comprehensive collaboration between Vietnamese localities and the southern Italian region as part of the Vietnam-Sicily Bridge programme.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung (Photo: VNA)
Rome (VNA)🌸 - Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung paid a working visit to Sicily from April 11-12 to boost comprehensivecollaboration between Vietnamese localities and the southern Italian region as part of theVietnam-Sicily Bridge programme.
Hung met with key Sicilian officials, including Regional President Renato Schifani, Prefect of Palermo Massimo Mariani, Prefect of Catania Maria Carmela Librizzi, Mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla, and Mayor of Catania Enrico Trantino. At the meetings, Hung spoke highly of the strategic partnership and traditional friendship between Vietnam and Italy and introduced Vietnam's strengths andpotential for cooperation, especially in the fields of economy, investment,cultural exchange and tourism. He urged leaders of Sicily and the cities of Palermoand Catania to adopt policies and measures that prioritise and enhance cooperationwith Vietnamese localities in green economy, renewable energy, and semiconductorindustry. Schifani confirmed the region's keeninterest in boosting international trade cooperation with Vietnam, and specificallyexpressed his hope for Vietnam's engagement in a new airport project in Comiso. Mayor of Palermo Lagalla expressed strong support for collaborationwith Vietnam, specifically in the fields of agriculture, culture andarts, particularly with a project to promote performance exchanges betweenartists from the two countries at the Massimo Theater, the most unique andlargest theater in Italy and the third largest in Europe after Paris and Vienna. Mayor of Catania Trantino proposed a continueddiscussion on areas of cooperation that align with the strengths of both sides,expressing readiness to collaborate with the embassy to foster friendlyrelations, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. The prefects of the two cities expressed their willingnessto actively support bilateral cooperation initiatives across various fields andincrease the exchange of delegations. At working sessions with the Sicily and Catania confederationsof employers, the local business communities expressed their keen interest in steppingup cooperation with Vietnam, especially importing Vietnamese raw materials andfinished steel products, tinplate, various types of wood, coffee, and othercommodities. They were also ready to join promotional programmes, specialisedtrade fairs in Vietnam, and local cooperation activities in Italy throughout thisyear. On the occasion, Hung delivered a presentation onVietnam and Vietnam-Italy relations at the Rotary Catania Club. He also engagedin a discussion on leadership skills with 40 outstanding youth representatives acrossItaly at a seminar co-hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Sicily and Malta./.
President Vo Van Thuong has signed Decision No. 99/2024/QD-CTN approving the agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between Vietnam and Italy.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 1 for Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida, calling for a further strengthening of bilateral ties, particularly in the agricultural sector.
The Vietnamese and Italian economies are complementary, with great potential for cooperation, with agriculture being a key area, said head of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung.
Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien held a working session in Hanoi on March 28 with Marco Della Seta, Italian Ambassador to Vietnam and Regina Corradini D’Airenzo, CEO of SIMEST which is responsible for promoting Italian companies' outward investment and providing technical and financial support for investment projects.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Seongnam Air Base in Seoul on August 10 afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.