Presiding over the briefing, Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that under the direction of the Party Secretariat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with relevant agencies to conduct a comprehensive review of more than 20 years of carrying out Resolution No.36 and subsequent guiding documents. The review is designed to propose timely and appropriate policy orientations and decisions for a new period.

According to the plan, the national conference will take place on December 25 in Hanoi. It is expected to serve as an important platform for strengthening exchanges and coordination among ministries, sectors, localities, Vietnam’s overseas representative missions and overseas Vietnamese communities.

The conference is expected to draw around 320 participants, including leaders of the Party and State, representatives from ministries, sectors and localities, veteran officials involved in overseas Vietnamese affairs, as well as leaders of associations and overseas Vietnamese representatives. Notably, 20 outstanding overseas Vietnamese delegates attending the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress will be present in person.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang noted that Resolution No.36 was the Party’s first comprehensive strategic document on overseas Vietnamese affairs in the context of deeper international integration.

Over more than two decades, the resolution has served as a guiding framework for the policies and actions of the Party, the State and relevant agencies at all levels.

It reaffirmed the consistent principle that overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and an important resource contributing to cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and other countries.

To date, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese has received 60 review reports, 20 thematic papers and 180 proposals and recommendations from ministries, sectors and localities, including major media organisations.

The committee has also consolidated reports and policy recommendations from 98 Vietnamese representative missions abroad, and organised five thematic seminars and workshops to support a comprehensive assessment of overseas Vietnamese affairs as a basis for shaping major policy directions in the coming period.

Summarising key outcomes after more than 20 years of implementing Resolution No. 36, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang said the overseas Vietnamese community has expanded in both scale and capacity.

From around 2.7 million people in nearly 90 countries and territories in 2004, the community has grown to nearly 6.5 million people across more than 130 countries and territories, with about 80% living in developed economies. Their standing and contributions have been increasingly recognised in host societies and international forums, while ties between overseas Vietnamese and the Party, the State and people at home have become closer and more substantive.

She also highlighted a marked shift in governance thinking, from management to partnership and service in supporting overseas Vietnamese.

This shift has been reflected in the continued improvement of the legal framework to better protect the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Vietnamese, including amendments to the Law on Vietnamese Nationality that eased conditions for acquiring or restoring nationality, as well as provisions in laws on science and technology, land, housing and real estate business.

The Party and State have also encouraged and facilitated overseas Vietnamese participation in major policy-making processes. To date, more than 2,000 contributions have been submitted by overseas Vietnamese from across continents to the draft documents for the 14th National Party Congress, demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility, trust and aspiration to contribute to national development.

At the same time, approaches have evolved to better attract, value and make effective use of overseas Vietnamese resources by creating favourable working environments that enable meaningful contributions.

Particular progress has been made in preserving and promoting Vietnamese cultural values, especially the Vietnamese language, within overseas communities. Over the past two decades, and notably in recent years, significant advances have been achieved through the development of more appropriate teaching materials, the application of digital transformation in Vietnamese language education, online training programmes for teachers at home and abroad, the promotion of Vietnamese language bookcase initiatives, the designation of September 8 as Vietnamese Language Honour Day, and the selection of Vietnamese language ambassadors to further spread language learning and appreciation.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang said these achievements stem from the close guidance and attention of Party and State leaders, the involvement of the entire political system, and the strong commitment and sense of responsibility of those working in overseas Vietnamese affairs, including the media. This, she noted, once again underscores the consistent view that overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation.

State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs delegation visits Canada

A delegation of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) led by Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang had meetings with Vietnamese communities in both the East and West regions of Canada, as part of their working visit to the country from August 24 – 27.