Overseas Vietnamese affairs: Conclusion No. 12 has really come to life

WVR - This August marks the second anniversary of the Politburo’s Conclusion 12/KL-TW, dated August 12, 2021, on overseas Vietnamese affairs in the new situation. On this occasion, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairwoman the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (OV) Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang granted an interview for the World and Vietnam Report, expressed her delight when the work for Overeas Vietnamese has got the attention and involvement of the whole political system, at all levels, sectors and localities.
Overseas Vietnamese work: Conclusion No. 12 has really come to life
Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and guests took photos with participants of Vietnam Summer Camp 2023. (Photo: WVR/Minh Quan)

With regards to the outstanding outcomes of implementating the Conclusion No. 12-KL/TW on overseas Vietnamese affairs after two years, Deputy Foreign Minister Hang stressed that the implementation of the Conclusion No. 12/KL-TW has achieved important outcome.

Firstly, the majority of overseas Vietnamese want the Party and State to pay attention and create conditions for them to enjoy a number of policies and rights like domestic people so they can feel secure in investing, doing business, working or returning home.

Therefore, to better meet the legitimate aspirations of people, the State Committee on overseas Vietnamese Affairs, under Ministry of Foreign Affairs, actively coordinates with relevant agencies to review, propose amendments and improvement of policies related to overseas Vietnamese, including the nationality policy.

Recently, the relevant agencies are considering expansion of citizen identification to overseas Vietnamese residing abroad in the draft Law of Identity.

Second, pay special attention to the work of great solidarity, mobilizing overseas Vietnamese to think and act towards their homeland, contributing to strengthening national unity. Continue to organize annual activities bonding overseas Vietnamese with the homeland as often as Xuan Que Huong (Spring Homeland), the overseas Vietnamese delegation’s visits to Truong Sa island (Spratly) and the DK1 rig house, attendance at the Hung Kings Commemoration Anniversary, Vietnam Summer Camp...

The State Committee on overseas Vietnamese Affairs always strives to innovate many contents and forms to bring out the meaning of these activities in the Vietnamese community and from these activities, people can feel real significance of their contributions to the country.

Notably, overseas Vietnamese are increasingly engaged in practical activities to contribute to the defense of the country's sovereignty over seas and islands, including organizing activities towards the protection of the country's seas and islands. establishing clubs for Truong Sa (Spratly) - Hoang Sa (Paracel) in many countries such as France, Germany, Czech, Hungary, Poland, etc.

Notably, overseas Vietnamese are increasingly carrying out practical activities to contribute to the protection of the country's sovereignty and islands, such as organizing activities aimed at the homeland's islands and seas, establishing clubs for the sake of the country. Truong Sa (Spratly) - Hoang Sa (Paracel) in many countries such as France, Germany, Czech, Hungary, Poland...

Last June, in Paris, the Liaison Committee of Vietnamese in Europe for Vietnam's Seas and Islands organized for the first time the scientific conference on the East Sea and the issue of Vietnam's sovereignty with the participation of a large number of scholars and supporters of Vietnam's islands and islands.

The conference is an opportunity to collect documents, update and exchange the latest information on the recent situation in the East Sea; At the same time, it is an opportunity to connect overseas Vietnamese who have visited Truong Sa with Vietnamese island lovers.

The 13th Party Congress stated the country's development orientations, not only in the period 2021-2025 but also for the coming decades, setting the strategic goal of Vietnam becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045. In particular, for overseas Vietnam affairs, the Party Congress clearly stated the task of "more comprehensive and strong implementation".

To contribute to the successful implementation of the aspirations and vision of national development set out by the 13th Party Congress, stemming from the lessons learned during the implementation process in the new world context, of the country and the overseas Vietnamese community, on August 12, 2021, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 12-KL/TW on overseas Vietnamese affairs in the new situation. Conclusion 12 is the inheritance and continuation of Resolution 36 (2004) and Directive 45 (2015) on work for foreign workers, with the main spirit of national harmony, care for overseas Vietnamese and mobilization of overseas Vietnamese resources for national development.

Overseas Vietnamese work: Conclusion No. 12 has really come to life
Overseas Vietnamese affairs: President Vo Van Thuong meets representatives of the Vietnamese community during his visit to Italy in July 2023. (Photo: WVR/Nguyen Hong)

Third, in order to mobilize and made full use of the resources of overseas Vietnamese more effectively, relevant agencies in Vietnam and abroad have successfully coordinated to organize many seminars, conferences, business forums, and established an inter-related network to connect overseas intellectuals and businessmen, establish a mechanism for overseas Vietnamese to contribute opinions on major issues of the country.

Typically, in the 2020-2021 period, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the State Committee on Oversas Vietnamese coordinated to organize a series of online exchange and consultation programs among team of doctors and specialists of overseas Vietnamese in the medical field with domestic agencies and people to improve the effectiveness of pandemic prevention and public health protection, including Conference connecting overseas Vietnamese with Quang Nam with the theme "Overseas Vietnamese experts contribute to planning Quang Nam province for the period 2021-2030, vision to 2050"; Program of Thai Overseas Businessmen Group to connect and seek cooperation and investment opportunities in localities (July 2022); Smart Agriculture Conference (January 2023); Workshop "Attracting NVNONN resources for tourism development" (August 2023)...

We also support to remove problems for overseas Vietnamese when returning home to invest, do business, and scientific cooperation; Mobilizing overseas Vietnamese to participate in introducing and consuming products and developing distribution channels for Vietnamese goods abroad. Vietnamese businessmen and businesses in many countries, typically in the United States, Europe, Thailand, etc, have significant economic potential, actively participate in the promotion and introduction of Vietnamese products in their areas for many years.

Fourth, support overseas Vietnamese for having a solid legal status and stabilizing life in residing country continues to receive attention. In conducting foreign affairs activities, Party and State leaders always ask leaders of other countries to pay attention, support, and create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live, study, and work at their countries.

Difficulties regarding the legal status of overseas Vietnamese in some countries are gradually being resolved or improved, as Slovakia has officially recognized the Vietnamese community as the 14th ethnic minority community in the country. This is a testament to the level of development and deep integration and affirms the position, prestige and contribution of our people to our second homeland and thereby contributes better to the relationship between Vietnam and the overseas Vietnamese’s new homeland.

Overseas Vietnamese affairs: Conclusion No. 12 has really come to life
Overseas Vietnamese affairs: Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son met with the Vietnamese community in France during his visit to France, June 5. (Source: VNA)

Fifth, with a deep awareness that culture is the root and that the mother tongue is the soul of the nation, preserving the Vietnamese language and promoting national cultural identity has been strongly implemented and can be said to have had a breakthrough when the Project on Honoring Vietnamese Language in the overseas Vietnamese community was approved by the Prime Minister in 2022.

Even in 2023, the first year of implementing the Project, the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamerse Affairs and relevant ministries and branches, especially Vietnamese representative missions abroad, have organized many activities that have received a positive response from Vietnamese community such as the contest Searching for Vietnamese messengers, building a Vietnamese Bookshelf and looking forward to the Day of Honoring Vietnamese Language on September 8.

Sixth, the work of information and communication to overseas Vietnamese is renewed in terms of thinking, content and form, focusing on developing content on a digital platform so that overseas Vietnamese can easily access information. Domestic press agencies actively follow community-related activities, opening columns and special pages such as: Vietnamese magazine, Vietnamese people in five continents, Vietnamese compatriots abroad...

In addition, we also create conditions for overseas reporters to return home to work and report, contributing to helping the overseas Vietnamese community get accurate and objective information about the situation in the country as well as the Vietnamese community around the world.

Overseas reporters have come to the Ukraine-Poland border to directly report on the safe evacuation of our overeas Vietnamese from the war zone, supported by the community of neighboring countries and supported by our representative missions.

Deputy Foreign Minister Hang shared things that made her satisfied in implementation of overseas Vietnamese affairs

She stressed that what makes people like her who work on overseas Vietnamese affairs feel satisfied is that the spirit of "care" and "responsibility" in Conclusion 12 has really come to life and been implemented in practice, bringing very practical and meaningful results.

Overseas Vietnamese affairs receive the attention and involvement of the entire political system, at all levels, branches and localities, is considered one of the priorities in representative missions and it is important that our overseas Vietnamese are responded positively and with great appreciation.

This has even greater significance in the context of the world's extremely complicated and unexpected developments over the past two years, greatly impacting our compatriots abroad in terms of security, economics and material matters. In such condition, overseas Vietnamese are cared for and supported by the Party and State, shared and encouraged by the people in the country, in accordance with the spirit of great national solidarity and compatriotism.

Overseas Vietnamese affairs: Conclusion No. 12 has really come to life
Overseas Vietnamese affairs: Students take a group photos at the Vietnamese language teaching training course for Vietnamese teachers abroad in 2023. (Photo: Le An)

2023 is the first year of implementing the Project of Honoring Vietnamese Language in the overseas Vietnamese community, whereby September 8 every year is chosen as the Day of Honoring Vietnamese. With great pleasure, Deputy Foreign Minister Hang introduces activities leading up to this special day.

The project of Honoring Vietnamese Language in the overseas Vietnamese community aims to build Vietnamese Honoring Day to become an important annual milestone in the cultural and spiritual life of the community; create motivation to preserve and promote Vietnamese language in the community. Through honoring the Vietnamese language, it contributes to building a stable, united and strong overseas Vietnamese community, constantly looking towards the homeland and roots, she said.

Immediately after the Project was approved by the Prime Minister, in the context of limited funding, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs actively mobilized resources, chaired and coordinated to implement many practical activities. Since the beginning of 2023, the State Committee for Foreign Affairs has launched a contest to find "Vietnamese Ambassadors Abroad in 2023", with the hope that these "Messengers" will be the ones to promote culture and inspire and create motivation to learn Vietnamese in the overseas Vietnamese community, the Deputy Foreign Minister said.

She informed that activities on the upcoming September 8 will include the following series of activities in the overseas Vietnamese community, such as Workshop on Honoring Vietnamese Language; Closing ceremony of "Vietnamese Language Honoring Day in 2023" and awarding the title "Vietnamese Ambassador Abroad 2023"; and the Gala Program "Dear Vietnamese language".

Overseas Vietnamese affairs: Conclusion No. 12 has really come to life
Efforts to promote Vietnamese language in Vietnamese communities abroad. (Photo: WVR)

These activities will be broadcast live on the National Television Station (VTV4), National Assembly Television and broadcast live on the digital platforms of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, the above-mentioned television channels and International Media channel of The World and Vietnam Report.

From now until the end of the year, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs will deploy the construction of Vietnamese bookcases to serve the overseas Vietnamese community in some countries such as Japan, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary. In addition, there are ongoing annual activities such as: Vietnamese language teaching training course for overseas Vietnamese teachers, support for Vietnamese teaching and learning materials for communities in some countries.

The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs also coordinates and supports activities such as building a website to teach Vietnamese for Vietnamese students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University; VTV4's "Hello Vietnamese" and "Vietnam's Imprint" programs, etc. These programs all aim to encourage national pride, evoke love for the homeland, honor Vietnamese intelligence, and Vietnamese identity through eras, to improve Vietnamese language skills, especially for the younger generation of overseas Vietnamese.

In addition, The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs closely coordinates and is in companion with relevant agencies which organize specific activities to respond to the Day of Honoring the Vietnamese Language abroad, such as Forum to Preserve Vietnamese Language Abroad (Poland); Opening of Vietnamese Class and Vietnamese Workshop (Japan); Opening of Vietnamese Class and opening of Vietnamese Bookshelf (Laos), she added.

Overseas Vietnamese affairs: Conclusion No. 12 has really come to life
Overseas Vietnamese affairs: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang (left) gives a certificate of merit to a candidate who won the title "Ambassador of Vietnamese language" at a gala held by the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOVA) and Vietnam Television (VTV) in Hanoi, on September 8 night, 2023. (Photo: VNA)

As the project's presiding agency, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs continues to work with relevant agencies to design and implement programs and activities to truly make the Day of Honoring Vietnamese Language a memorable hallmark in the life of the overseas Vietnamese community, Deputy Foreign Minister Hang said.

The Deputy Foreign Minister expressed her hope that activities to honor Vietnamese language ​​and culture will increasingly receive widespread attention and participation from society, organizations and individuals at home and abroad, so that all people can join hands to preserve and develop them, promote Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese language for generations to come.

Currently, overseas Vietnamese have 385 investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of more than 1.7 billion USD and have contributed capital to thousands of Vietnamese businesses, contributing to creating jobs, technology transfer and socioeconomic development.

Remittances to Vietnam continue to increase despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and fluctuations in the world situation. Remittances in 2022 reach 19 billion USD, an increase of 5% over the same period, putting Vietnam in the top 10 countries in the world in receiving remittances.

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