In an interview with VOV, COVA deputy head Tran Quang Hoan said the resolution has received widespread support from overseas Vietnamese.

Following is the full text of the interview.

VOV: Would you brief us on the initial results of the implementation of the resolution in the past three years?

Mr Hoan: During the past three years, the resolution has helped change the awareness of State agencies and the public of the overseas Vietnamese community as well as the importance of overseas Vietnamese affairs. The National Assembly, the Government and relevant agencies have amended existing legal documents and adopted new ones to create more favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese who now enjoy more preferences in purchasing houses and investing in the homeland in line with the Common Investment Law and renewed policies on the single price system.

According to the resolution, the overseas Vietnamese community is an indispensable part of the Vietnamese nation. To this end, the Party and State have created favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to get involved in the country’s socio-political and economic affairs. Before the recent 10^th National Party Congress, the Party launched a forum to gather public opinions on the political report and many opinions given by overseas Vietnamese had been observed. Many overseas Vietnamese delegations have been invited to attend celebrations of major anniversaries such as the National Day, the Hung Kings’ death anniversary or overseas Vietnamese’ get-togethers with top Party and State leaders before the lunar New Year festival.  

The Party and State have also issued incentive policies to encourage overseas Vietnamese intellectuals to return and contribute to the homeland. The country is planning to establish an overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs association which has received strong support so far.

To assist them in learning Vietnamese, summer camps have been held annually for young overseas Vietnamese to explore national cultural identities, conduct exchanges with their peers in the homeland and join learning Vietnamese classes.

In short, the fatherland welcomes all overseas Vietnamese, including those who kept high positions in the former regime, to return home and join hands to build the nation.

VOV: What will be discussed during the April 10 conference?

Mr Hoan: The conference will consider proposals and measures to further speed up the implementation of resolution 36. According to Mr Hoan, overseas Vietnamese are concerned about visa exemption, house ownership, citizenship and repatriation procedures, specific policies for intellectuals, entrepreneurs and young overseas Vietnamese, as well as coordination between domestic ministries, agencies and localities to carry out these policies.

The Party and State attach importance to the matter of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals and have adopted measures to make full use of their intellects in various areas, science and technology for example. However, we need their contributions to other national issues such as the national socio-economic development strategies. We have held forums and will establish more channels to create larger forums for overseas Vietnamese to give opinions.

VOV: These days, Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and his lay followers who returned from Lang Mai village in France are getting involved in religious activities in the homeland. What are your opinions about this?

Mr Hoan: Zen master Hanh returned to Vietnam in 2005 for the first time where he ran social and religious activities for three months. The master was satisfied with the results of the trip. So were we, because it demonstrated Vietnam’s policies on national reconciliation and religious freedom. During his first three-month trip in the three regions of the country, he did not meet any difficulties, and this proved that the overseas Vietnamese community further trusts in the State’s open policies.

With the Government approval, this year he and his followers were allowed to practise religious activities in the three regions for three months. All his programmes have been successful so far. (He is now in the central region and will be in Hanoi soon). We hope this trip will continue to contribute to the Party and State’s policies on great national unity and religious freedom.

VOV: Thank you.