14th Congress expected to further affirm the role of overseas Vietnamese in the nation's development strategy
WVR - Nguyen Trung Kien, Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV), shared with the press about the significant achievements in expatriate affairs and the important contributions of the overseas Vietnamese community to the draft documents of the 14th Congress.
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The draft Political Report of the 14th Congress acknowledges that the work concerning overseas Vietnamese has been implemented more actively and substantively. Could you elaborate on this?
In the past term, the work concerning overseas Vietnamese has achieved many outstanding results, reflecting new developments in thinking, approach, and practical effectiveness.
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| Nguyen Trung Kien, Chairman of the SCOV. (Source: SCOV) |
Previously, policies mainly focused on advocacy, but now there has been a strong shift towards creating mechanisms, environments, and favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to proactively engage and directly contribute to the nation.
Simultaneously, the Party and State have paid special attention to activities that care for the material and spiritual lives of the overseas Vietnamese community, especially in preserving and promoting cultural identity, the Vietnamese language, supporting integration in host countries, and strengthening community solidarity.
These efforts have laid a solid foundation for overseas Vietnamese to stabilize their lives, strengthen their ties with their homeland, and thereby unleash their potential, intelligence, and affection in the nation's building and development.
Thanks to these results, the close attention and guidance from the highest leaders of the Party and State have become a particularly important spiritual support for overseas Vietnamese.
In speeches, annual Tet greetings to overseas Vietnamese, working visits, and meetings with the overseas Vietnamese community, leaders such as the General Secretary, President, Prime Minister, and National Assembly Chairman have emphasized that our compatriots, whether at home or abroad, are descendants of the same lineage, an integral part of the nation. This attention has become a great encouragement, reinforcing the trust, affection, and aspiration of overseas Vietnamese to connect with their homeland.
The issuance of Conclusion No. 12-KL/TW by the Politburo on August 12, 2021, and Resolution No. 169/NQ-CP by the Government on December 31, 2021, are significant milestones affirming that the overseas Vietnamese community is an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation, a resource for the country, and a crucial factor in enhancing friendly relations and cooperation between Vietnam and other countries. This is both an inheritance and a new development in the Party and State's policies, suitable for the context of deep international integration.
In that spirit, agencies within the political system have continuously innovated content, methods, and improved the effectiveness of their work. Citizen protection and legal support have been proactively and promptly implemented, clearly reflecting the spirit of serving the people.
Efforts to preserve the Vietnamese language and national culture have seen positive changes with Vietnamese language classes, the "Vietnamese Bookshelf" program, and community cultural activities spreading across countries and regions. Efforts to connect, attract, and leverage the intellectual resources, experts, and businesspeople among overseas Vietnamese have expanded, focusing on priority areas such as science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, education, and healthcare.
Additionally, coordination between ministries, sectors, and localities with the SCOV has become increasingly close and effective, contributing to spreading the spirit of centering policies around overseas Vietnamese.
Many models and initiatives initiated by overseas Vietnamese have been connected and supported for implementation in the country; more and more Vietnamese experts and intellectuals abroad are participating in policy-making, strategic development consulting, and accompanying innovation, entrepreneurship, and high-quality human resource training activities.
These results affirm the consistent viewpoint and deep concern of the Party and State leadership, while also reflecting the trust, affection, and aspiration of overseas Vietnamese towards their homeland.
In the coming period, as the 14th Congress documents continue to emphasize the task of promoting the great unity of the entire nation, including the overseas Vietnamese community, the work concerning overseas Vietnamese will be implemented more extensively and substantively, contributing positively to the goal of building the nation and the rapid, sustainable development of the overseas Vietnamese community in the new era, enhancing the position and image of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people on the international stage.
Could you share the contributions of overseas Vietnamese to the Draft Political Report of the 14th Congress?
The consultation process for overseas Vietnamese on the draft Political Report for the 14th Congress has been widely implemented, receiving over 1,300 comments from the overseas Vietnamese community across continents.
The consultation process was organized methodically and flexibly, combining direct and online forms through the network of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, overseas Vietnamese associations, and digital platforms, ensuring that every voice of overseas Vietnamese is heard and acknowledged.
The opinions of overseas Vietnamese, associations, networks/groups of experts, intellectuals, businesspeople, students, women, etc., reflect a spirit of responsibility, trust, and aspiration to contribute to the homeland, vividly expressing the attachment of our compatriots abroad to the nation.
All opinions reflect trust, affection, a spirit of responsibility, and an aspiration to accompany the nation, viewing the contribution of opinions to the draft documents as an opportunity to express patriotism and the intelligence of the global Vietnamese community.
Overall, overseas Vietnamese evaluate the draft Political Report as having high quality and strategic vision, clearly showing the interconnection between the three important fields of economy, society, and Party building.
Many opinions appreciate the innovation in leadership thinking, as for the first time, four major reports are integrated into a single Political Report, and the inclusion of an Action Program directly in the Report demonstrates the spirit of "words matched with actions".
Regarding the Congress theme, overseas Vietnamese express high unity and consensus, viewing it as a concise, clear message reflecting the aspiration for development and the spirit of great national unity.
Regarding development policies, overseas Vietnamese highly appreciate the new orientations, emphasizing the three pillars of science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation, viewing them as the central drivers of the new development model.
Overseas Vietnamese propose the development of a National Strategy on Talent and Innovation, connecting intellectual resources domestically and internationally; formalizing the "knowledge repatriation" policy – bringing Vietnamese knowledge back to serve the country, encouraging Vietnamese experts and intellectuals abroad to participate in national development; issuing mechanisms to protect those who dare to think and act; developing a national innovation ecosystem, regional and national R&D centers.
Regarding foreign affairs and international integration, many opinions emphasize that nearly 6.5 million overseas Vietnamese are a strategic resource and soft power of the country in international integration and people-to-people diplomacy.
Recommendations focus on enhancing coordination between representative agencies and associations, leveraging the role of overseas Vietnamese in cultural diplomacy, science, Vietnamese values – developing a "People's Ambassador" network to promote a creative, humane, and integrated image of Vietnam.
Regarding policies for overseas Vietnamese, most opinions highly agree with the spirit of the Draft, affirming that the overseas Vietnamese community is an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation, a resource for the country, and propose specific suggestions on: Creating a stable legal corridor for overseas Vietnamese to confidently integrate and contribute; promoting Vietnamese language teaching and learning, preserving national cultural identity; administrative reform, digitizing public services; developing exchange programs, scholarships, internships for overseas Vietnamese youth and students; building a global network of Vietnamese intellectuals – businesspeople – experts, connecting with localities within the country.
It can be said that the contributions of overseas Vietnamese are both theoretical and very practical, reflecting trust in the reform path and expectations that the 14th National Party Congress will continue to affirm the role of the overseas Vietnamese community in the nation's development strategy, contributing to strengthening the great national unity, spreading the values and image of Vietnam on the international stage.
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| The first National Great Unity Day of the overseas Vietnamese community in Japan. |
What expectations would you like to convey to the 14th National Party Congress?
The 14th National Party Congress is a particularly significant milestone, occurring as our country enters a new phase with the aspiration to enter a new era of development, becoming a developed, high-income country by the mid-21st century.
Reflecting on the nation's historical journey, we see the significance of the current moment. After 1975, the country entered a challenging yet proud phase of recovery and reconstruction, laying the foundation for peace and unity.
The period after 1986 and the subsequent years marked a major turning point in the Doi moi (renewal) process, opening up new development thinking, laying the groundwork for the country's gradual integration, growth, and affirmation of its position on the international stage.
Today, Vietnam stands before a historic opportunity to enter a new era of development – an era of innovation, digital transformation, knowledge economy, and deep integration.
With seven important resolutions recently issued by the Central Committee, along with the upcoming 14th Congress Resolution and future resolutions, we have sufficient grounds to believe in a strong, synchronized policy foundation, creating momentum for the country to realize the 2045 vision: becoming a developed, high-income nation.
The overseas Vietnamese community is always attentive and places high expectations on the Congress, as each decision of the Party is linked to the future and position of the country, which is also the future and pride of nearly 6.5 million Vietnamese living worldwide.
We firmly believe that the 14th National Party Congress will continue to affirm and promote the Party's innovative thinking, strategic vision, and leadership courage, proposing correct, breakthrough decisions that both inherit tradition and open new development paths suitable for the times. The Congress is not only a place to summarize the past journey but also a powerful call to awaken the aspiration to rise of the entire nation, including the overseas Vietnamese community.
We also trust that our compatriots across the five continents will always look towards the homeland with deep affection, unwavering trust, and determination to accompany the Party and State in the cause of building and defending the nation. We hope the 14th National Party Congress will continue to place Vietnamese people at home and abroad at the center of all development policies; continue to inspire creativity, unity, and the will to rise so that the country – our homeland Vietnam – develops rapidly, sustainably, integrates deeply, and strongly spreads Vietnamese values in the new era.
