Ho Chi Minh City hosts ASEAN - Italy Forum 2025: Affirming its role as a regional connection and international cooperation center

The event was co-organized by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in collaboration with The European House - Ambrosetti (TEHA), Associazione Italia-ASEAN, the ASEAN Secretariat and Becamex Group, attracting more than 500 high-ranking delegates, ministers, experts and businesses from ASEAN countries and Italy.

The 9th ASEAN - Italy High-Level Dialogue on Economic Relations is an important foreign affairs and economic event.

This is an important foreign affairs and economic event, held for the first time in the context of Ho Chi Minh City merging its borders with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau , marking a major shift in the multipolar development structure and repositioning the City's role in the international cooperation network.

The forum included five in-depth working sessions, focusing on key topics such as the ASEAN-Italy economic-geopolitical outlook, green industry and clean energy development, enhancing infrastructure-logistics connectivity, promoting high-quality agriculture-food, Industry 5.0 and the innovation ecosystem. Discussions also focused on expanding investment flows between the two regions, especially in the fields of high technology and advanced manufacturing.

In his opening speech, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc said, "Ho Chi Minh City is honored to host the 9th ASEAN - Italy High-Level Dialogue on Economic Relations in Binh Duong, one of the largest industrial centers in Vietnam and a place where many new orientations on integration, innovation and sustainable development are being implemented."

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc speaks

The Chairman of the City People's Committee emphasized that this year's forum is an important opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City and localities in the Southern Key Economic Zone to meet and exchange with international agencies, organizations and businesses; thereby expanding cooperation, strengthening value chain connectivity, promoting innovation and sustainable development.

In his online speech, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung highly appreciated the coordination efforts of Ho Chi Minh City and the close coordination of TEHA with the ASEAN Secretariat and Becamex Group in organizing the 9th ASEAN-Italy High-Level Dialogue on Economic Relations in 2025. The event is not only an economic forum, but also a vivid expression of the vision of long-term cooperation between ASEAN and the European Union (EU) in general and Italy in particular towards a common development space based on trust, innovation and sustainable development.

Becamex Group General Director Nguyen Hoan Vu speaks

Along with the strategic discussion sessions, the Forum was highlighted by practical models from the Southeast region, especially the industrial ecosystems of Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City. Being held in Binh Duong helps international delegates directly access operating models: high-tech industrial parks, logistics infrastructure, service-innovation urban areas.

Sharing about the development orientation of integrated industry - urban - services, General Director of Becamex Group Nguyen Hoan Vu also emphasized the role of Vietnam in the new value chain: "Vietnam is in a historical turning point, with streamlining the apparatus, reforming the administrative system and optimizing development space, aiming to create a streamlined, globally competitive country."

The General Director of Becamex Group described the ecosystem that Becamex is operating as a comprehensive development model, providing smart and sustainable solutions, with the motto of taking investors as the center - where industry, urban areas, services, education, healthcare, telecommunications and logistics are planned synchronously.

One of the highlights that attracted many delegates’ attention was the eco-industrial park model - in line with the green development trend that ASEAN and Italy are pursuing. Notable among them is the pioneering eco-industrial park (EIP) model in Vietnam, in cooperation with the World Bank and IFC, promoting industrial symbiosis, renewable energy, resource optimization and contributing to the Net Zero 2050 target.

With 5 thematic discussion sessions and many business networking activities, the ASEAN - Italy High-Level Dialogue Forum 2025 not only strengthens bilateral economic relations but also affirms the role of Ho Chi Minh City as a regional center of international cooperation.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/tp-ho-chi-minh-dang-cai-dien-dan-asean-italia-2025-khang-dinh-vai-tro-ket-noi-vung-va-trung-tam-hop-tac-quoc-te-10395520.html