OVs join hands in realising national development desire

The 4th World Conference of Overseas Vietnamese (OV) and the 2024 forum of OV intellectuals and experts are hoped to mobilise collective brainpower, strengthen great national solidarity, and promote resources, potential and strengths of the OV community together with their fellows at home to realise the desire of national development, stated Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son at the opening of the events in Hanoi on August 22.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son addresses the opening of the 4th World Conference of Overseas Vietnamese (OV) and the 2024 forum of OV intellectuals and experts (Photo: VNA)

The FM said that through three editions in 2009, 2012 and 2016, the conference has created a venue for OVs and their peers at home to discuss strategic matters in national construction and defence as well as issues related to the Vietnamese community abroad.

Opinions and policy recommendations given by OVs have been absorbed by domestic agencies and translated into policies and law regulations, he said, noting that a series of new policies in ID, land, housing and real estate business have been issued to create more favourable conditions for the community to return home for working, investing and doing business, towarding ensuring the rights of Vietnamese citizens abroad like their fellows at home.

Many meaningful activities have been organised for OVs, including the “Xuan Que huong” (Homeland Spring) programme, trips for OVs to attend the Hung Kings Commemoration Day and to Truong Sa and DK1 Platform, the Vietnamese summer camp and the day for honouring Vietnamese language, he added.

Highlighting the growing number and rising position of the Vietnamese OV community over the years, the FM said that in the past 30 years, the total remittances to the country reached more than 200 billion USD, equivalent to the amount of foreign direct investment disbursed in the same period. By the end of 2023, OVs had invested in 421 foreign direct investment projects at home with a total registered capital of 1.72 billion USD, while thousands of enterprises were funded by OVs. Meanwhile, their contributions in brainpower are uncountable, the minister stressed.

At the same time, the work for OVs has seen important and comprehensive outcomes thanks to the great attention from the Party, State and the whole political system, he noted.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the opening of the 4th World Conference of Overseas Vietnamese (OV) and the 2024 forum of OV intellectuals and experts (Photo: VNA)

The FM said that the 4th World Conference of OV is taking place when the whole country is striving to complete all targets set by the 13th National Party Congress, thus turning itself into a developing country with modern industry and high middle income by 2030, and a developed country with high income by 2045. To this end, the contribution from the 6-million-strong Vietnamese community abroad is crucial, he stressed.

The FM said that the 2024 forum of OV intellectuals and experts, the first of its kind held following the direction of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, provides a chance for OV experts and intellectuals to discuss development trends in the region and the world, enabling them to give recommendations in different areas such as sustainable and green growth, and expanding the innovation network.

Particularly, for the first time, a number of OV associations have joined domestic agencies in chairing and running a number of thematic sessions on high-tech fields such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence during the forum, he said.

Hoang Dinh Thang, member of the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee and President of the Union of Vietnamese People Associations in Europe, proposed that the State continue to institutionalise Party policies towards OVs, designing breakthrough policies to provide favourable conditions for them to resume their Vietnamese nationality, and run for seats at the National Assembly.

He also gave recommendations in strengthening the management over Vietnamese guest workers, forstering connections among OV experts and intellectuals, maintaining Vietnamese language and culture, and promoting the image of Vietnamese people and nation abroad.

Johnathan Hanh Nguyen, an OV in the Philippines and Chairman of the Imex Pan Pacific Group, said that the Government should design strategies to attract OV students and youngsters to launch startups and join community initiatives in Vietnam, thus strengthening their bonds with the homeland and give new initiatives for national development.

He recommended the application of sandbox mechanism to promote the talent of young OVs and grasp new technologies.

He also underlined the need for Vietnam to enhance transparency and simplify administrative reform in investment, while considering the single-window mechanism for OVs, and creating special incentives for national data infrastructure projects, AI development and semiconductors, and promote high-quality human resources training programmes.

Earlier, within the conference, an exhibition on OV affairs and their contributions to national construction and defence was held, along with booths introducing Vietnamese products.

VNA