Showing posts with label overseas Vietnamese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label overseas Vietnamese. Show all posts

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Website for overseas Vietnamese launched

HA NOI — A website designed to link overseas Vietnamese throughout the world was launched yesterday.

Jointly launched by the Vietnam News Agency; the Foreign Ministry-supervised State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese; and the Information and Communications Ministry's Foreign Information Service, the website, www.vietkieu.info, is the largest-ever information project specifically designed for overseas Vietnamese.

It provides information about Party and the State's policies and guidelines for overseas Vietnamese, their activities in support of their homeland and outstanding overseas Vietnamese.

It also serves as a detailed database.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, who is also Foreign Minister, members of the Party Central Committee's Publicity and Education Commission, representatives of the two ministries and VNA pressed the button to officially link the web site to the internet.

Its mission is titled "Connecting Vietnamese".

Khiem said he was delighted to witness the debut of a web site that was intended to serve the community and link overseas Vietnamese on five continents.

He asked news providers to provide more specialised pages, columns, news and articles to better serve the Party and State's mass mobilisation and foreign affairs.

VNA Director General Tran Mai Huong said as the official voice of the Party and State, the agency had long provided information about overseas Vietnamese.

The agency would increase the dissemination of information in various forms to promote the image of Viet Nam and its major events to help foreigners and Vietnamese communities abroad have an accurate and complete understanding of what happens in the country.

The information would include Party and State policies.

National pages

The web site is divided into national pages so that its readers can quickly learn about the lives of the overseas Vietnamese community in each country.

The Community News column is supplemented with information from reporters, agencies for foreign affairs, overseas Vietnamese trade missions as well as overseas Vietnamese.

Readers can find an overview of each nation and its relations with Viet Nam in the Contents column of each nation.

The web site also provides systematised State documents and policies divided into such categories as nationality, investment-business and verification of Vietnamese origin.

A list of overseas Vietnamese diplomatic agencies, associations, companies, trade centres and restaurants is being updated to facilitate business transactions and personal relations.

The Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank has joined with VNA and the other agencies to build the web site. — VNS

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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Overseas Vietnamese in UK meet in Dublin

Vietnamese people who live and work in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland gathered for the first time in Dublin city, Ireland , on Nov. 12.

Addressing the meeting, the Vietnamese Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Tran Quang Hoan, highlighted its significance to uniting Vietnamese expatriates.
The Ambassador said that the meeting provided an opportunity to develop overseas Vietnamese communities and seek more cooperation between Vietnamese businesses in these two countries.

Representatives of the Associations of Vietnamese in Ireland and the UK and the Association of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs in the UK delivered speeches on their current activities and orientations for the future.

On this occasion, on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Ambassador Hoan presented the Association of Overseas Vietnamese in Ireland with the certificate of merit for its outstanding achievements in developing the community and holding activities towards the homeland./.

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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Viet Kieu investment blocked by late implementation of law

Viet Kieu investment blocked by late implementation of lawA law that gives overseas Vietnamese benefits enjoyed by Vietnamese citizens has taken too much time to be implemented, and the latter are unable to invest much in the country as a result, officials said at a Friday conference.

The amended Nationality Law took effectIn July 2009, allowing overseas Vietnamese who already have foreign nationality to register to hold Vietnamese nationality as well, so they can enjoy benefits that domestic residents have in Vietnam.

But instructions to implement the law have not been issued, officials said at the conference held in Hanoi to review six years of the implementation of the Party Politburo's resolution on policies relating to Viet Kieu (Overseas Vietnamese).

Luong Bach Van, chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese, said many oversease Vietnamese people queued up at Vietnam's embassies all over the world on July 2 and 3, 2009 to register their nationality according to the amended law.

“But all of them were told to wait… Many have been discouraged,” Van said.

Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy head of Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry and chairman of the Government Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, said at the conference that more than four million Vietnamese are living overseas.

He said 400,000 of these are intellectuals and many of them are working at leading research centers worldwide.

Van also said the delay in implementing the law prevents overseas Vietnamese from registering to get a business license as a local investor.

Her deputy, Pham Khac Lam, said that regulating the affairs of overseas Vietnamese in the country was important. “But it’s more important to make them come back and invest in the country.”

Vuong Thua Phong, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Foreign Affairs Commission, said highly-educated overseas Vietnamese can help protect Vietnam’s sovereighty, especially in the East Sea area.

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Monday, December 20, 2010

Viet Kieu investment blocked by late implementation of law

Viet Kieu investment blocked by late implementation of lawA law that gives overseas Vietnamese benefits enjoyed by Vietnamese citizens has taken too much time to be implemented, and the latter are unable to invest much in the country as a result, officials said at a Friday conference.

The amended Nationality Law took effectIn July 2009, allowing overseas Vietnamese who already have foreign nationality to register to hold Vietnamese nationality as well, so they can enjoy benefits that domestic residents have in Vietnam.

But instructions to implement the law have not been issued, officials said at the conference held in Hanoi to review six years of the implementation of the Party Politburo's resolution on policies relating to Viet Kieu (Overseas Vietnamese).

Luong Bach Van, chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese, said many oversease Vietnamese people queued up at Vietnam's embassies all over the world on July 2 and 3, 2009 to register their nationality according to the amended law.

“But all of them were told to wait… Many have been discouraged,” Van said.

Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy head of Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry and chairman of the Government Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, said at the conference that more than four million Vietnamese are living overseas.

He said 400,000 of these are intellectuals and many of them are working at leading research centers worldwide.

Van also said the delay in implementing the law prevents overseas Vietnamese from registering to get a business license as a local investor.

Her deputy, Pham Khac Lam, said that regulating the affairs of overseas Vietnamese in the country was important. “But it’s more important to make them come back and invest in the country.”

Vuong Thua Phong, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Foreign Affairs Commission, said highly-educated overseas Vietnamese can help protect Vietnam’s sovereighty, especially in the East Sea area.

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Friday, December 17, 2010

Role of overseas Vietnamese highlighted at conference

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

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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Vietnamese police recommend drug trafficking charges for Viet Kieu

Police on Friday asked Vietnam’s supreme prosecutors to press charges against three overseas Vietnamese for trafficking heroin into the country.

The police have also put a warrant out for the arrest of Nguyen Winston, also known as Ba or Tran Khai, an overseas Vietnamese who played a major role in the ring.

Police and border guards in Tay Ninh Province on June 19 caught Le Van Buoc, 54, when the Vietnamese Australian was carrying nearly one kilogram of heroin containing methamphetamine from Cambodia.

The police then arrested another member of the ring, To Van Nam, 46, a Vietnamese American staying in Ho Chi Minh City.

Investigations revealed that the three of them formed a group with others in early June this year to traffic rock heroin and powder to make ecstasy.

Buoc has a store in HCMC from where he would ship the goods to Australia, in iron or steel containers. He pocketed half of the revenue, investigators found.

Nam told the police that between September 2006 and 2008, he was also involved in a ring that trafficked ecstasy and marijuana from Canada to the US.

He was one of 50 people whom the US Drug Enforcement Administration recommended governments to keep an eye on. 

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Saturday, November 20, 2010

Overseas Vietnamese on drug charges

HCM CITY — HCM City's Drugs Crime Investigation Police Department recommended yesterday that the Supreme People's Procuracy prosecute two overseas Vietnamese for drugs trafficking.

Southern Tay Ninh Province border guards arrested To Van Nam, 46, a Vietnamese American and Le Van Buoc, 54, a Vietnamese Australian, for allegedly transporting one kilo of drugs through the Moc Bai Border Gate in June.

Police also alleged a Chinese suspect carried the drugs from Cambodia to HCM City before handing them to Buoc who was claimed of planning to take the drugs by sea to Australia.

Driver falls asleep at wheel killing student

HA TINH — A crane crashed into four female students, killing one on the spot and injuring the others on National Highway 1A in Cam Xuyen District in central Ha Tinh Province yesterday.

Police alleged the truck driver, Bui Van Cuong, 36, from Kien Xuong District in northern Thai Binh Province, felll asleep at the wheel.

Two arrested for chopping down tree

HA NOI — Ha Noi Police arrested two people for allegedly cutting down a sua (dalbergia tonkinensis) tree on Thursday in Ha Noi's Ba Dinh District.

Two others escaped.

Trinh Van Vinh, 33, from central Thanh Hoa Province, and Nguyen Van Thai, 17, of Dong Anh District in Ha Noi, are in detention. Police seized a tree trunk measuring 30cm in diameter and 4.5m in length.

Rare sua trees are listed in Viet Nam Red Book. -VNS

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

PM visits flood hit areas, OVs grant relief aid

PM visits flood hit areas, OVs grant relief aid

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and a government delegation on Oct. 9 paid a visit to Quang Binh, the hardest-hit province by flood.

Floods has claimed 42 lives, left 17 missing and injured 45 others. Losses are estimated at 1.3 trillion VND (68.4 million USD).

PM Dung and the delegation visited Duy Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, one of localities suffering greatest losses in the historical floods.

Praising solidarity of people in the flood-hit areas, PM Dung asked the provincial Party Committee and local authorities to coordinate with relevant agencies to seek for missing people and assist families with dead and injured persons, as well as control epidemics and surmount damaged infrastructure, especially houses.

He also asked the provincial officials to mobilised forces, especially the medical sector to focus on environmental hygiene to prevent disease occurrence.

He required the province to promptly recover social welfare projects, particularly schools and medical stations for children to return school and provide medical checks-up to people.

The same day, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs informed that overseas Vietnamese has contributed over 400 million VND (21,000 USD) to help flood victims in central provinces of Vietnam.

The donation was raised by the delegation of overseas Vietnamese, who are in Hanoi for the celebrations of the millennium birthday of the city.

Tran Duc Mau, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs said that the committee will channel the donation to the victims as soon as possible./.

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Saturday, November 6, 2010

Party leader lauds community built by overseas Vietnamese

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh (first row, fourth left) receives overseas Vietnamese who returned to the country for the Thang Long-Ha Noi millennial celebrations. —VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Xuan Tuan

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh (first row, fourth left) receives overseas Vietnamese who returned to the country for the Thang Long-Ha Noi millennial celebrations. —VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Xuan Tuan

HA NOI — Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh spoke highly of the development of the Vietnamese community abroad and their valuable contributions to national construction when meeting representatives of overseas Vietnamese who had returned for the Thang Long-Ha Noi millennial celebrations yesterday.

"The Party, State and people greatly appreciate the patriotism and valuable contributions of overseas Vietnamese," he said.

Manh said he believed overseas Vietnamese would continue their patriotism, strengthen their communities, and join forces to build a thriving Viet Nam.

He stressed that there were both opportunities and challenges facing the country at present so all Vietnamese people, both at home and abroad, must do their utmost for the common cause.

After affirming that overseas Vietnamese are integral to the nation's growth, Manh urged them to make recommendations for the draft documents to be submitted to the 11th National Party Congress as a way to contribute to the goal of fostering a rich people, a strong nation and a democratic, fair and civilised society.

The Party leaders expressed his pleasure that many overseas Vietnamese had successfully invested and done business in Viet Nam, and that a number of artists had organised exhibitions bringing attention to the country.

Representatives said they were delighted to witness Viet Nam's enormous achievements in the doi moi (renewal) process and national construction, citing the ongoing celebrations as evidence.

They thanked the Party and State for their support and promised to contribute more to the development of their home country. — VNS

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Overseas Vietnamese given new property rights

Overseas Vietnamese living abroad who have maintained their Vietnamese citizenship are permitted to own unlimited property, according to the latest decree on implementation of the Land and Housing Law.

Deputy Minister of construction Nguyen Tran Nam said that this is a change from the previous decree, which has been in force since 2001, which stipulated that only selected groups of people of the Vietnamese origin could own unlimited property.

The new decree stipulates that overseas Vietnamese eligible to buy houses in Vietnam may also enjoy other privileges, such as the transfer of land-use rights when selling; using credit organisations to mortgage their land-use rights; or leasing out the property.

This change promotes further equality between overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese citizens when it came to property ownership in Vietnam, said Truong Thi Hoa, a lawyer from the HCM City Bar Association.

Nam said this decree also provides specific guidance about the papers overseas Vietnamese are required to present to prove their eligibility to buy real estate.

"All the requirements are more concrete and transparent than before, which will hopefully pave the way for better implementation of the law at local levels," he said.

One of the major hurdles for overseas Vietnamese that hinders them from purchasing property in Vietnam is the procedure to prove their origin, Luong Bach Van, chairwoman of the Overseas Vietnamese Committee in HCM City, said.

"If they lose relevant papers, which is often the case for people who have lived abroad for a long time, the whole process may come to a standstill. For those who have already prepared the necessary certificates, it still takes at least three months to verify them," she said.

Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Businessmen Club Nguyen Ngoc My said that many overseas Vietnamese commonly get around the red-tape procedures by putting their real estate transactions under the name of a Vietnamese citizen.

Nguyen Thi Thu Van, who owns an auto dealership in San Francisco and divides her time between Vietnam and the US , said she has bought several houses in Vietnam but asked her relatives to register for ownership.

"This is much quicker, but I am luckier than other overseas Vietnamese who may not have trustees in Vietnam . The new decree is a good signal for all of us, but I am a little bit concerned about its implementation in practice," she said.

My, a Vietnamese Australian, said he bought a house at the beginning of this year but is still waiting for his property ownership certificate.

"I hope the changes in relevant legal documents will help procedures go more smoothly, which will in turn make it easier for overseas Vietnamese to take part in Vietnam's property market," he said.

Deputy Minister Nam said the new regulations will provide incentives for overseas Vietnamese to return to the country to buy houses, which would help boost the real estate market in Vietnam .

He also refuted the concern that overseas Vietnamese could utilise the loosened regulations to find their way into real estate speculation, potentially leading to a housing market bubble.

"In fact, property prices in Vietnam are comparatively high and the housing market is not that attractive," he said.

Nguyen Quang Tuyen, head of Hanoi Law University 's Land Law Department, said the new regulations may create more demand in the housing market but not enough to create a boom because the relevant administrative procedures are still not working very well.

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Monday, September 13, 2010

Overseas Vietnamese help poor students

students

Nguyen Thi My Nga, president of the French non-profit organization “Friends of Vietnam” presented scholarships worth VND59 million (US$3,026) to 23 poor, orphaned and disabled students in Ben Tre province on Monday.

Nga has been involved in this kind of charity work since 1994, with donations for disadvantaged children in the southern province reaching VND880 million ($45,139) in total so far.

Le Thi Thanh Van, president of the provincial Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims, said that the scholarships sourced by the French-Vietnamese lady were small in value but have come in time to benefit the recipients until they graduate.

As a result, two students have finished their post-graduate education, three others have graduated from university, three are currently attending university and 20 have graduated from vocational colleges.

This year, the association has provided loans of 500 euros each with no interest to poor university and college students in Ben Tre, for one academic year.

Only after graduating from university or vocational colleges and earning a stable income, will the borrowers have to pay back the loans, at 20 percent a month, which will be used to fund other disadvantaged students.

Nga was born in Saigon and immigrated to France in 1969 and her husband is originally from Ben Tre.

She founded the “Friends of Vietnam” organization in 1992 with financial assistance from friends in France, Belgium and Switzerland. Her two children are amongst the regular donors to the fund.

Since 1994 she has sourced donations of 225,000 euros for disadvantaged students in Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre Province.

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Overseas Vietnamese helps vulnerable students

The President of the French non-profit organisation “Friends of Vietnam” presented 59 million VND in scholarships to 23 poor, orphaned and disabled students in Ben Tre province on August 30.

Nguyen Thi My Nga has been involved in this kind of charity work since 1994, with donations for disadvantaged children in the southern province reaching 880 million VND in total so far.

The President of the provincial Association of Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims, Le Thi Thanh Van, said that the scholarships sourced by the French-Vietnamese lady were small in value but have come in time to benefit the recipients until they graduate.

As a result, two students have finished their post-graduate education, three others have graduated from university, three are currently attending university and 20 have graduated from vocational colleges.

This year, the association has provided loans of 500 Euros each with no interest to poor university and college students in Ben Tre, for one academic year.

Only after graduating from university or vocational colleges and earning a stable income, will the borrowers have to pay back the loans, at 20 percent a month, which will be used to fund other disadvantaged students.

Nga was born in Saigon and emigrated to France in 1969 and her husband is originally from Ben Tre.

She founded the “Friends of Vietnam” organisation in 1992 with financial assistance from friends in France, Belgium and Switzerland. Her two children are amongst the regular donors to the fund.

Since 1994 she has sourced donations of 225,000 Euros for disadvantaged students in Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre province./.

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Sunday, September 5, 2010

Overseas Vietnamese always welcomed in homeland

Overseas Vietnamese, including those in the US , are always welcomed to live and work in Vietnam , thus contributing to the national development, said Chairperson of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council Pham Phuong Thao.

Thao made the statement while receiving newly-appointed US Consul General in HCM City Le Thanh An on August 25. An is the first Vietnamese-American holding the position of the US Consul General in HCM City .

Thao spoke highly of the role and contributions of the Vietnamese community in the US , especially young people, and affirmed that the city has always created favourable conditions for Vietnamese youths overseas in general and in the US in particular to visit and live in the homeland.

The US ’s cooperation programmes and projects implemented over the past time, including those of Vietnamese people, have remarkably contributed to the city’s development, she stated.

For his part, the US Consul General stressed that during his tenure, he will try his utmost to develop the cooperation between the two countries.

He expressed his wish to join the municipal authorities to organise more exchanges between the Vietnamese community in the US and local residents, especially programmes for young people./.

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Friday, September 3, 2010

HCM City reviews overseas Vietnamese work

HCM City reviews overseas Vietnamese work

The Party Political Bureau’s resolution 36 on Overseas Vietnamese work has created an essential and strong change in the public awareness that “Overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part and resource of the Vietnamese community”.

This was said by Luong Bach Van, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Ho Chi Minh City chapter at a conference in the city on August 25 to review six years’ implementation of resolution 36.

The biggest achievement of the Overseas Vietnamese work in Vietnam ’s largest economic hub was to gain the support of the administrations and mass organisations at all levels for the work, the HCM City chapter said.

As home to the country’s largest number of Overseas Vietnamese and big projects invested by Vietnamese expats, HCM City has considered the Overseas Vietnamese work as a responsibility of its entire political system and local people.

Since the Overseas Vietnamese Liaison Association was established in September 2006, it has to date set up its branches in the city’s 24 inner and outlying districts and even communes and wards.

HCM City has published a monthly bulletin called, “The fatherland with Overseas Vietnamese” with 1,000 copies and a handbook for overseas Vietnamese.

It has also launched the website: www.alov-hcmc.org.vn to provide updated information on the state’s policies related to the Overseas Vietnamese work and recently put into operation a centre to provide support for young expats and students studying abroad on their return to the homeland.

While noting what HCM City has done for Overseas Vietnamese, Van also pointed out that the city remains passive in its Overseas Vietnamese work as it has not yet taken the initiative in inviting talented expats to come back to take part in building the city during the international integration process./.

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Monday, August 30, 2010

Overseas Vietnamese Association in Switzerland meets

Nearly 60 representatives of Vietnamese people across Switzerland on August 21 gathered at a meeting convened by the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Switzerland (OVAS) in Belp town, 10km from the capital city of Berne.

The meeting was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador Hoang Van Nha, the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, representatives of the World Trade Organisation and other international organisations.

At the gathering, Ambassador Nha informed the participants of socio-economic achievements Vietnam has recorded over the past time, new policies regarding overseas Vietnamese and the outcomes of bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland .

Nguyen Khanh Kinh, OVAS chairman, reported on the association’s activities since its founding in April this year.

He said the association has launched several humanitarian projects in Vietnam to help children with heart diseases have surgeries and poor kids get access to schools.

The association plans to organise a mid-autumn festival for children in September, attend the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi to be held in October and launch a campaign to raise fund for orphans and disabled children this December, he said.

OVAS will also set up new branches in German and French-speaking regions, he added./.

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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Overseas Vietnamese Association in Switzerland meets

switzerland

Nearly 60 representatives of Vietnamese people across Switzerland on Saturday gathered at a meeting convened by the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Switzerland (OVAS) in Belp Town, 10 kilometers from the capital city of Berne.

The meeting was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador Hoang Van Nha, the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, representatives of the World Trade Organization and other international organizations.

At the gathering, Ambassador Nha informed the participants of socio-economic achievements Vietnam has recorded over the past time, new policies regarding overseas Vietnamese and the outcomes of bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland.

Nguyen Khanh Kinh, OVAS chairman, reported on the association’s since its founding in April this year.

He said the association has launched several humanitarian projects in Vietnam to help children with heart diseases have surgeries and poor kids get access to schools.

The association plans to organize a mid-autumn festival for children in September, attend the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi to be held in October and launch a campaign to raise fund for orphans and disabled children this December, he said.

OVAS will also set up new branches in German and French-speaking regions, he added.

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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Vietnamese in Laos celebrate major anniversaries

The General Association of overseas Vietnamese in Laos (GA) on August 19 held a meeting to celebrate the country’s National Day and the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

At the meeting, attended by the Laotian Minister of Education Phankham Viphavan, Vietnamese Ambassador in Laos Ta Minh Chau and other senior Lao officials, the GA’s chairman Hoang Dieu highlighted the association’s achievements over the past year.

The GA donated 50 million VND to help flood-hit victims from the storm Kestina, 20 million kip for the Bolikhamsay provincial Party Committee, 1,000 USD for flood victims in Atopu province, 20,000 USD to build schools for Vietnamese children in Laos as well as two charity houses worth 12,000 USD.

The association, along with the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos and the Lao Ministry of Education, have provided 14 scholarships for Vietnamese students in Laos to attend university in Vietnam as well as opened Vietnamese language classes for overseas children.

The GA has also worked with a number of artists to help organise various kinds of performances during major celebrations and has requested the Lao state to present orders and medals to 59 overseas Vietnamese for their great services to the Lao revolution.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Chau asked the Vietnamese community to uphold their traditional unity and carry out pertinent activities when celebrating the country’s major anniversaries./.

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