Vietnam, Laos strengthen cooperation in expatriate affairs: Deputy FM
WVR - On December 29, at the headquarters of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOVA), Deputy Foreign Minister and Committee Chairwoman Le Thi Thu Hang held talks with Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Ting Souksanh who was leading a delegation of the Liaison Committee for Overseas Laotians (LCOL) to visit Vietnam.
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| Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Ting Souksanh. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Viet) |
During the talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang emphasised that the special friendship, solidarity and cooperation between Vietnam and Laos has been developing comprehensively in all fields. The Parties, Governments and people of the two countries always give each other trust, warm affection and intimacy, she said.
Deputy Minister Hang affirmed that the SCOVA is willing to accompany and support the LCOL in building and implementing policies for Lao-origin people.
Host and the guest informed each other about the situation of overseas Vietnamese and Lao people, their contributions to their homelands and the two Governments’ support for them.
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| Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Ting Souksanh hold talks. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Viet) |
Discussing the situation of overseas Laotians, Deputy Minister Ting Souksanh said that the Lao community abroad has about 980 thousand people, equivalent to 13% of the Lao population, concentrated mainly in nearly 20 countries, namely the US, France, Canada, Japan, Australia, etc. Every year, Laos welcomes about 30 thousand overseas Laotians to return home to visit relatives and travel; There are about 257 Laotians carrying out investment and business activities in Laos.
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| Lao Deputy Foreign Minister Ting Souksanh speaiks at the event. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Viet) |
Recently, the Liaison Committee for Overseas Laotians has proposed to promulgate a number of decrees related to overseas Laotians abroad in such issues as visa, marriage, residence policies; organized sports exchange events, festivals,. to gather and attract overseas Laotians to return home; coordinate with Lao Television, Voice of Laos to produce programs to serve overseas Laotians on national culture, promote investment projects of overseas Laotians in the country.
Sharing about the situation of overseas Vietnamese, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang said that the Vietnamese community abroad is living, working, and studying in more than 130 countries and territories, making certain contributions to the host country as well as cultivating friendship, promoting trade cooperation, and promoting the image of Vietnamese people and culture.
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| Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang speaks at the event. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Viet) |
Moreover, people also have many practical activities towards their homeland. With 19 billion USD in remittances in 2022, Vietnam continues to be in the top 10 countries in the world in receiving remittances. There are currently 385 direct investment projects of overseas Vietnamese with a total registered capital of 1.72 billion USD. Thousands of businesses have been invested by overseas Vietnamese while about 600 overseas experts, intellectuals, and scientists participate in production, business and teaching activities in Vietnam every year.
Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang shared that in order to achieve outstanding results in the work for overseas Vietnamese, in recent times, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs has synchronously and effectively deployed various activities including advising on guidelines, policies and laws for Vietnamese people abroad; carrying out community support work, helping people stabilize their lives, preserving national cultural identity, teaching Vietnamese; organizing many activities to connect overseas Vietnamese with the country (as Spring Homeland Gala, Vietnam Summer Camp for overseas Vietnamese youth); organizing many seminars, conferences, and discussions to connect businessmen and intellectuals with businesses and localities to mobilize overseas Vietnamese resources for national development.
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| A group photo. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Viet) |
The two sides also discussed the organisational structure of the two Committees, the activities of the associations, and shared experience in building policies and laws, and organising events for expatriates.
Sharing views with her Lao counterpart, Hang proposed that the two committees continue to promote cooperation, increase the exchange of delegations, and encourage Lao young officials to directly attend activities organised by the COVA to learn experience.
The two sides will enhance information exchange between their specialised units through different forms, and organise activities to connect the expatriate communities of the two countries, she said.
(Source: WVR)
