HA NOI — Viet Nam's entire political system was committed to supporting Viet kieu (overseas Vietnamese), leading Foreign Ministry officials said at a conference here yesterday.
They said that this was to enhance the engagement of overseas Vietnamese with all political, economic and social life in the country.
The conference, held by the Ministry's Department of Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, brought together about 400 officials from ministries, departments and provinces to review a special decree on overseas Vietnamese.
Issued six years ago by the Party's Politburo, Decree 36 marked a breakthrough for the Viet kieu community,classifying them as an integral part of the Vietnamese people and welcoming them to contribute to the development of the country.
"It's one of two landmark decrees in the doi moi (renewal) process of the country, reflecting a significant change in the Party's thinking," said Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who is also a Politburo member.
He said overseas Vietnamese affairs were hugely important and had become one of the four pillars of the country's diplomacy, apart from political, economic and cultural tasks.
Citing laws on dual nationality, investment and property ownership for Viet kieu, the minister said the decree had materialised in daily life, "but now we need to focus on developing more concrete policies and measures".
Dang The Hung, deputy chairman of the Department of Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, presented a report on six years of implementation of the decree.
It said that in past years, the department had organised many events for Viet kieu to re-establish their links with the country.
Decree 36 also facilitates the return of some people belonging to the other side during the war, the re-opening of Binh Duong Province's Binh An Cemetery where soldiers of the former Sai Gon regime were buried - and the search for remains of those missing.
Hung noted that in the future, the department would try to reverse lingering prejudice against Viet kieu so that the political system would be conscious of their role and significance.
"We will be tough on eliminating unnecessary administrative procedures concerning Viet kieu," he said. "We will create a better legal framework for their investment, property ownership and Vietnamese nationality."
The most important project of all, according to Hung, was to lure more and more Viet kieu intellectuals and experts to contribute to the country.
Incentive policies would be made and a research centre established to seek Vietnamese talents from around the world, especially former consultants to leaders of countries and multinationals.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Education and Training is developing a scheme to teach Vietnamese to young Vietnamese abroad, according to Deputy Minister Bui Van Ga.
Former Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien said: "We should defend their legitimate rights and benefits both in the country and in their resident countries so that they feel that Viet Nam is truly their home and their guardian."
"The focus for the time being is to develop more favourable policies and framework to attract more Viet kieu back to the country," Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Department of Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Nguyen Thanh Son told Viet Nam News on the sidelines.
According to the department's official figures, out of 4.5 million Vietnamese living in 103 countries. So far they have invested US$5.7 billion in more than 3,000 projects in the nation. — VNS
No comments:
Post a Comment