The Prime Minister acknowledged and appreciated the important contributions of the overseas Vietnamese community to the homeland.

The success of the overseas Vietnamese (OV) community is that of the nation, he stated, stressing that the country is proud of the community, always listening to OVs’ aspirations and highly evaluating their idea contributions.

Regarding orientations for OV affairs in the future, the leader clarified that the work must fully demonstrate and promote the tradition of national great solidarity, stressing that all policies must follow this spirit.

The work must bring into full play the great resources from the OV community and inspire their patriotism, while strongly, positively, and effectively showing the sentiments, trust, and responsibility of the Party and State to the community, Chinh said, underlining that OV affairs must be implemented in a concerted, comprehensive, and inclusive manner, highlighting that the work is the responsibility of the whole political system, and the entire people.

The Prime Minister appreciated the important contributions of the overseas Vietnamese community to the country. He commended the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs in the work of overseas Vietnamese, contributing to promoting the cause of great national unity.

The leader said he hopes the Vietnamese community abroad will stay united and provide creative, breakthrough opinions, and specific solutions to further optimise resources from the community for national development.

Particularly, he expressed his hope that OV experts and intellectuals will give recommendations on boosting the growth of science and technologies and new areas such as semiconductor and AI, proposing specific projects, introducing good models for multiplication, and directly engaging in the projects.
 

Speaking at the opening of the forum earlier, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said that the 4th World Conference of Overseas Vietnamese took place in the context of our entire nation making efforts, and accelerating to successfully implement the goals of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress.

Vietnam strives to become a developing country with modern industry and high average income by 2030, and a developed country with high income by 2045. To realize these goals, the important contribution of the community of more than 6 million Vietnamese people abroad is indispensable.

According to Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, from approximately 4.5 million people in 109 countries and territories in 2016, the number of overseas Vietnamese living and working has now exceeded 6 million in over 130 countries and territories. Among them, about 10%, or 600,000 people, hold university degrees or higher.

A number of Vietnamese-origin individuals have become deeply involved in local political systems at various levels, many Vietnamese entrepreneurs are among the world's billionaires, and numerous overseas Vietnamese experts, intellectuals, and artists have been honored with international awards, contributing to the prestige and stature of Vietnam.

As of the end of 2023, overseas Vietnamese have invested in 421 foreign direct investment projects with a total registered capital of US$1.72 billion.

Speaking at the event, Hoang Dinh Thang, president of the Union of Vietnamese People Associations in Europe, expressed gratitude for the Party and State's support for overseas Vietnamese and voiced his pride in Vietnam's progress.

He called for policies to facilitate dual citizenship, allow overseas Vietnamese to vote and run for office and for their organizations to join domestic political bodies.

Thang also urged diplomatic efforts to recognize overseas Vietnamese as ethnic minorities where applicable and to enhance labor agreements and training. He stressed the need for streamlined feedback mechanisms, administrative reforms and the preservation of Vietnamese culture abroad.

An overseas Vietnamese from the Philippines and chairman of Imex Pan Pacific Group, Johnathan Hanh Nguyen, commended the government's policies in education and technology, which have improved the investment climate and attracted overseas talent.