The Overseas Vietnamese community havemade major contributions to Vietnam’s development, especially after theimplementation of a resolution of the Political Bureau on overseasVietnamese (OV) affairs a decade ago.
In an interview granted toVietnam News Agency reporters, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman ofthe State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) Vu Hong Namsaid the Party and State work diligently to ensure the overseasVietnamese community is always considered during policymaking, such asthe Politburo’s Resolution No. 36 in 2004.
To facilitate therealisation of the resolution, a number of legal documents have beendeveloped and enforced to protect the legitimate interests of Vietnamesepeople abroad.
The OV community currently consists of roughly4.5 million people across 109 countries and territories, Nam noted,adding that they have been establishing firm footholds in these foreignlands, helping to elevate Vietnam’s stature in the global arena.
About 10-15 percent of the OV community, or more than 400,000 people, hold graduate or higher degrees.
Thanksto policies encouraging their return, more than 300 Vietnameseintellectuals from developed countries such as the US, France, Germany,and Japan
return to their homeland every year. Many of themspecialise in economics, mathematics, healthcare, education, and nuclearand information technology, and intend to stay in Vietnam long-term,the official said.
In the time ahead, the COVA will conductvarious activities to connect overseas and domestic intellectuals,including workshops and dialogues. It will also collaborate with theMinistry of Science and Technology to implement the Fostering Innovationthrough Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) project calling on OVsto engage in the country’s science and technology development, Namadded.
Meanwhile, overseas remittances to Vietnam exceeded 70billion USD from 2003 to 2013, with an annual growth rate of 10 percentand reaching 12 billion USD last year, the Deputy Minister said, notingthat Vietnam is now among the top 10 countries receiving overseasremittances in the world.
He cited the Central Institute forEconomic Management as saying that remittances were the second largestsource of capital in the country between 2007 and 2013, followingforeign direct investment.
Nam said remittances play an importantrole in stabilising the macro-economy, maintaining trade balance, andfortifying investment and national reserves. They also help spurspending and foster private economic activities, ultimately contributingto unemployment reduction and poverty alleviation.
Favourableregulations such as removing caps on remitted money or facilitating OVs’visits, property acquisitions, and investments in Vietnam haveincreased remittance inflows, he said.
The official alsoattributed the rise in remittances to the growing number of Vietnameseindividuals going abroad to work, study, or reunite with their familiesas well as convenient banking services and a stable exchange ratebetween VND and USD. Promising investment opportunities in securities,real estate, insurance, education, and healthcare in the country arealso magnets for overseas funds.-VNA
In an interview granted toVietnam News Agency reporters, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman ofthe State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) Vu Hong Namsaid the Party and State work diligently to ensure the overseasVietnamese community is always considered during policymaking, such asthe Politburo’s Resolution No. 36 in 2004.
To facilitate therealisation of the resolution, a number of legal documents have beendeveloped and enforced to protect the legitimate interests of Vietnamesepeople abroad.
The OV community currently consists of roughly4.5 million people across 109 countries and territories, Nam noted,adding that they have been establishing firm footholds in these foreignlands, helping to elevate Vietnam’s stature in the global arena.
About 10-15 percent of the OV community, or more than 400,000 people, hold graduate or higher degrees.
Thanksto policies encouraging their return, more than 300 Vietnameseintellectuals from developed countries such as the US, France, Germany,and Japan
return to their homeland every year. Many of themspecialise in economics, mathematics, healthcare, education, and nuclearand information technology, and intend to stay in Vietnam long-term,the official said.
In the time ahead, the COVA will conductvarious activities to connect overseas and domestic intellectuals,including workshops and dialogues. It will also collaborate with theMinistry of Science and Technology to implement the Fostering Innovationthrough Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) project calling on OVsto engage in the country’s science and technology development, Namadded.
Meanwhile, overseas remittances to Vietnam exceeded 70billion USD from 2003 to 2013, with an annual growth rate of 10 percentand reaching 12 billion USD last year, the Deputy Minister said, notingthat Vietnam is now among the top 10 countries receiving overseasremittances in the world.
He cited the Central Institute forEconomic Management as saying that remittances were the second largestsource of capital in the country between 2007 and 2013, followingforeign direct investment.
Nam said remittances play an importantrole in stabilising the macro-economy, maintaining trade balance, andfortifying investment and national reserves. They also help spurspending and foster private economic activities, ultimately contributingto unemployment reduction and poverty alleviation.
Favourableregulations such as removing caps on remitted money or facilitating OVs’visits, property acquisitions, and investments in Vietnam haveincreased remittance inflows, he said.
The official alsoattributed the rise in remittances to the growing number of Vietnameseindividuals going abroad to work, study, or reunite with their familiesas well as convenient banking services and a stable exchange ratebetween VND and USD. Promising investment opportunities in securities,real estate, insurance, education, and healthcare in the country arealso magnets for overseas funds.-VNA
