On 5 January 1992, the Italian Republic and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam signed the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, which defines the principles and objectives in this field. Since 1998, the two countries have signed the Executive Protocol for Scientific and Technological Cooperation every three years. The eighth Executive Protocol 2024-2026 (https://innovitalia.esteri.it/AJAXMediaGallery/GetAllegatoStream/054e4f1f-7e81-4a7b-a520-fd6edfc88cba) is currently in place and was signed in Rome at the Farnesina on 8 May 2024. The protocol identifies six research projects of particular relevance to the two countries in the following thematic areas: agriculture and food sciences, climate change and sustainability, space sciences and earth observation, and technologies for the conservation and restoration of natural and cultural heritage. The projects are funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam.
In addition to the government-level agreement, there are also cooperation agreements between research institutions. One such agreement is between the National Research Council and the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, which funds two-year projects for collaboration between researchers from the two institutions.
Italian universities and Vietnamese universities and research institutions have signed more than 170 memoranda of understanding for direct collaboration involving the exchange of researchers, students, and joint research projects and teaching activities. A comprehensive list of ongoing collaborations can be accessed via the CINECA website (https://accordi-internazionali.cineca.it/).