Conference on tapping overseas Vietnamese resources to take place late December
A conference to seek ways to tap resources of overseas Vietnamese (OV) and connect localities and businesses is scheduled to take place in the northern port city of Hai Phong from December 26 to 28, heard the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regular press conference in Hanoi on December 14.
Accordingly, the conference is an opportunity to connect entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and experts of Vietnamese living abroad with Vietnamese agencies and localities. It serves as a forum to attract and leverage the contributions of the diaspora to the country's development, especially in the fields of economy, trade, investment, science and technology, and innovation. Hundreds of OVs from over 20 countries and territories have registered to participate, along with more than 20 localities throughout the country.
Highlighting the importance of the conference, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, who is also head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, said that throughout history, the community has made significant contributions to their home country’s struggle for independence, current process of national construction and protection, and international integration.
The conference will focus on the three main topics of green investment, human resources development, and supply chain development. These are the areas and issues that Vietnam is in great need of, emphasised the diplomat.
Currently, there are about 6 million Vietnamese people living in more than 130 countries and territories across the globe.
Hang noted that the number of intellects, scientists, technicians, and high-quality human resources accounts for 10-12% of the Vietnamese population abroad, equivalent to about 600,000 people, with over 80% of them living in developed countries.
In the economic field, the OV business community has participated in global production, supply, and distribution chains, particularly in Europe and the US. They have invested around roughly US$1.7 billion in more than 380 projects in 42 out of 63 Vietnamese provinces and cities.
Vietnam is one of the top ten countries in the world receiving the largest amount of remittances, which amounted to about US$193 billion between 1993 and 2022.
Hang stated that the Vietnamese Party, State, and Government have many strategies, policies, and specific programmes for mobilising the OV resources. The focus of the work in this affair in 2024 and the following years is how to integrate them into life.
