Vietnam - Strategic market for processing and packaging solutions from Italy
Within the framework of the ProPak Vietnam 2026 exhibition (taking place from March 31 - April 2, 2026 at the SECC conference center, Ho Chi Minh City), the Italian Trade Office in Vietnam (ITA) in coordination with the Italian Packaging Machine Manufacturers Association (UCIMA) introduced the exhibition area of 15 leading enterprises in the packaging and processing machine industry from Italy.
Visitors have the opportunity to directly exchange and connect with Italian packaging and processing equipment manufacturers to learn about diverse packaging solutions, from processing, filling, capturing to primary and secondary packaging, serving many industries as well as transportation systems and end-of-line equipment.
Ms. Ilaria Piccinni - Italian Trade Attaché in Vietnam, Director of the Italian Trade Office in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnam is bringing many promising opportunities for Italian businesses, especially in the packaging machinery industry. Italy's packaging machinery industry has a scale of about 10 billion Euros, of which 80% is for export. The European Union is the largest market, followed by Asia. Therefore, we believe that Italian machinery and products have every opportunity to develop in Vietnam. Currently, the demand for high-quality machinery and new technologies is increasing, in order to meet the increasing demands of Vietnamese businesses.
Italian manufacturers of automatic packaging machines and packaging have achieved a solid position and stable market in Vietnam thanks to the high level of technology and quality of supply solutions, the level of customization and flexibility of machinery production, timely after-sales service in the world market, as well as a reasonable ratio between quality and price.
Coming to the ITA booth at ProPak Vietnam 2026, Vietnamese businesses have access to leading modern and sustainable machinery and technology from Italy, thereby improving production value and meeting international standards.
OpportunItaly - opportunities to access "Made in Italy" standards for Vietnamese businesses
At the ProPak event, the ITA booth also directly organized consulting for businesses to learn about and participate in the OpportunItaly platform - an international business promotion program built by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), with the central goal of supporting more than 20,000 Italian businesses and entrepreneurs to access the international market and create practical partnerships.
For many consecutive years, Vietnam has been the leading strategic market of ASEAN for Italy. According to calculations by the Customs Department (2026), Vietnam's imports from Italy in 2025 increased by 3.6%, with growth mainly concentrated in industries, machinery, and raw materials.
Ms. Alessandra Tognonato - Consul General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City shared: "Vietnam is increasingly affirming its role as a strategic partner of Italy in Southeast Asia, with strong cooperation potential in many fields, from industry to consumption. In the context of global trade constantly shifting, strengthening effective mechanisms to connect businesses between the two countries plays an important role in promoting bilateral economic relations in a sustainable and long-term manner.
In the program, Vietnam is identified as one of the 20 strategic markets of Italian businesses, alongside many other developed markets in Asia such as China, Japan, Singapore,...
In addition to the processing and packaging sector - which is ProPak Vietnam's focus, the OpportunItaly program also provides market reports and lists of potential partners in 10 industries associated with the "Made in Italy" brand, including aerospace & security, automobiles & motorcycles, sustainable infrastructure & energy, mechanics & automation to agricultural products; fashion, healthcare, design and furniture,... This creates a wide space for cooperation between businesses of the two countries from high industries to traditional fields.
The special feature of OpportunItaly is also the opportunitaly.gov.it digital platform built as a comprehensive connection center. Vietnamese businesses can access a variety of business connection tools such as export guidance, referring to strategic content such as market reports, a list of selected cooperation opportunities, increasing recognition and connecting flexibly with thousands of other businesses and participating in the global supply chain.
The program also designs the exclusive OpportunItaly Buyers Club space, allowing shoppers to access personalized meetings with ITA/ICE commercial analysts in international fairs with ITA booths, and also prioritize access to priority lists to attend major trade events in Italy.
Ms. Ilaria Piccinni, Italian Trade Attaché in Vietnam, commented: "Vietnamese businesses are increasingly promoting the improvement of production standards and approaching international standards, while Italy owns many leading quality industries in Europe. Through the combination of direct trade promotion activities and the OpportunItaly digital platform, we want to support Vietnamese businesses to access suitable partners more easily, exploiting the strengths of the "Made in Italy" standard.
Vietnam - Italy trade has grown positively with the commodity structure shifting towards industry and high technology. This bilateral trade relationship is increasingly strengthened, opening up many opportunities for cooperation, connection and market expansion for businesses.
