VIETNAM, July 12 - HCM CITY — The Italian Trade Agency in Việt Nam has been encouraging partnerships and cooperations and knowledge transfer between Italy and Việt Nam in the world of footwear and leather goods.

In collaboration with the National Association of Italian Manufacturers of Footwear, Leather Goods, and Tanning Technologies (Assomac) and the Việt Nam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso), the agency organised a series of trade promotion events for the leather and footwear industries in HCM City during July 10-12.

Agostino Apolito, Executive Director of Assomac, emphasised the importance of digitisation and international technology transfer for sustainable development in the leather and footwear industry.

Assomac will collaborate with Lefaso and others to develop plans for late 2024 and beyond, fostering cooperation between Italian and Vietnamese businesses.

Marco Della Seta, Italian Ambassador to Việt Nam, highlighted Việt Nam's strong export potential in the leather and footwear sectors, noting that Italy imports significant quantities of Vietnamese shoes and leather, including both finished and semi-finished goods.

He also mentioned the Vietnam-Italy Footwear Technology Centre in Bình Dương, which facilitates technology transfer and training for Việt Nam's leather and footwear workforce. Equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and technologies from Italy and Europe, the centre offers SMEs opportunities for product development and research.

The Italian Trade Agency has been actively organising Italian business participation in Việt Nam's annual trade fairs and exhibitions, offering opportunities to seek partners and suppliers.

At the 24th International Footwear & Leather Products Exhibition exhibition held from July 10-12 in HCM City, 18 leading Italian companies showcased a variety of machinery, auxiliary equipment and automation solutions for the leather and footwear industries. The exhibition highlighted advanced products, technologies and creative solutions for leather processing and footwear manufacturing.

Diệp Thành Kiệt, Vice Chairman of Lefaso, noted that Việt Nam's leather and footwear sector is among the top five industries in the country and ranks second in global exports. By 2030, the total export revenue for Vietnamese footwear and handbags is projected to reach US$38-40 billion. Despite the significant growth potential, Vietnamese businesses face increasing pressure to adopt green practices, especially in terms of environmental impacts.

Kiệt stressed the importance of Vietnamese enterprises leveraging their connections with Italian firms to receive technology transfers and understand new standards, particularly those required for entering European markets. — VNS