Ho Chi Minh City and Turin have since maintained close cooperation and exchanges within the framework of the Vietnam–Italy Strategic Partnership. As one of Southern Europe's leading centers for advanced manufacturing, industrial innovation, and technological development, Turin is regarded as a strategic partner of Ho Chi Minh City in smart manufacturing, intelligent urban mobility, and sustainable development.
Turin is the capital of the Piedmont Region, strategically located in northwestern Italy, with a metropolitan population of over 2 million. Beyond its strong economic position, Turin is renowned for its rich artistic heritage and unique cultural legacy. Once the capital of the historic House of Savoy and the first capital of the unified Kingdom of Italy, the city is home to magnificent Baroque architecture, grand public squares, and world-class museums. The presence of the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) has further established Turin as a center where advanced manufacturing technologies are seamlessly integrated with world-class industrial design, making it an attractive destination for the global creative community.Turin's economy has evolved from that of a traditional industrial city into a global hub for high technology and innovation. Widely recognized as the birthplace of Italy's automotive industry, the city served as the historic headquarters of FIAT, the predecessor of the multinational automotive group Stellantis. Today, Turin is internationally recognized for its strengths in precision engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), information technology, and aerospace industries. Through the Turin Aerospace City initiative and the Piedmont Aerospace Cluster, the city hosts leading European technology companies such as Leonardo, Thales Alenia Space, and Avio Aero, together with an extensive network of advanced research laboratories.
Economically, Turin serves as a major center for services, advanced manufacturing, and logistics, supported by modern industrial infrastructure and a well-developed intermodal transportation network connecting Europe. Its competitiveness is further strengthened by strategic development projects, most notably the Turin Aerospace City, which is envisioned as a leading industrial, high-tech, and logistics hub in Southern Europe.
Over the years, cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Turin has produced substantial achievements, strengthening local-level relations between Vietnam and Italy. Since establishing official relations in 2015, the two cities have maintained regular high-level exchanges and implemented numerous trade promotion and investment facilitation programs. One of the most notable areas of cooperation has been advanced manufacturing, innovation, and technology transfer, where Turin-based enterprises have shared valuable expertise with Ho Chi Minh City. In addition, regular cultural, artistic, and film exchange activities have helped deepen friendship and mutual understanding between the people of the two dynamic and culturally rich cities.
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Former Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai meets Turin Mayor Stefano Lo Russo during his visit to Ho Chi Minh City – Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Portal
Future Cooperation Priorities looking Ahead building upon the existing friendship agreement, Ho Chi Minh City seeks to strengthen strategic cooperation with the City of Turin in the following five priority areas:
1. Smart Manufacturing and Precision Engineering: Promote cooperation in the production and assembly of high-tech machinery, industrial automation, and supporting industries by leveraging Turin's long-standing manufacturing expertise. Encourage joint ventures in next-generation automotive manufacturing and component supply chains.
2. Smart Mobility and Logistics Infrastructure: Share best practices from Turin's integrated transportation network to optimize supply chains, develop digital public transport management systems, and implement sustainable urban logistics solutions in Ho Chi Minh City.
3. Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Strengthen collaboration between technology companies and research institutions in developing and transferring AI and Big Data solutions for smart city governance, digital transformation, and digital healthcare.
4. Industrial Design and Creative Economy: Build on the expertise of the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) to develop high-quality human resources and promote Italian industrial design in architecture, urban planning, fashion, textile manufacturing, and premium furniture production in Ho Chi Minh City.
5. Green Technology and Circular Urban Development: Cooperate on environmental protection technologies, carbon emission reduction, renewable urban energy, and circular economy models by drawing on the expertise of Environment Park Turin. Ho Chi Minh City also seeks cooperation in smart energy management, hydrogen applications in industry, and sustainable urban ecological solutions to support its long-term green growth objectives.