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Second overseas Vietnamese conference opens

VGP - The second conference for overseas Vietnamese kicked off on September 27 in Ho Chi Minh City, with the participation of nearly 1,000 overseas Vietnamese.

September 28, 2012 11:57 AM GMT+7

The second conference for overseas Vietnamese opens in Ho Chi Minh City on September 27, 2012 - Photo: VGP/Manh Hung
The conference, themed “Vision to 2020 - the Overseas Vietnamese Community’s Integration and Development with the Nation,” is organized by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the conference, Mr. Le Hong Anh, Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, said over 4 million overseas Vietnamese are not only an integral part of the nation, but also a valuable resource for national industrialization and modernization, and an important bridge linking Viet Nam and the world.

Mr. Anh said that in the coming time, the Party and State will continue to get to know situations and development trends of overseas Vietnamese communities, and to improve policies on overseas Vietnamese, especially those issued after the first conference.

After the conference’s opening ceremony, some symposiums were held to touch upon such issues as communities’ integration and economic development, cultural identities, overseas Vietnamese intelligentsia and entrepreneurs.

The conference will last till September 30.

Overseas Vietnamese establish 3,500 enterprises

According to a report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over 4.5 million overseas Vietnamese are living, working or studying in 103 countries and territories. Their life is becoming more and more stable in the local societies, with considerable economic and intellectual potentials.

Each year, some 500,000 overseas Vietnamese arrive in Viet Nam, with many experts and intellectuals wanting to invest or do business in their homeland.

Overseas Vietnamese have established or participated in forming over 3,500 domestic enterprises with total registered capital of some US$8.4 billion. Overseas remittances grow 10-15% each year. Overseas Vietnamese remitted home over US$9 billion in 2011 and some US$6.4 billion in the first half of 2012.

By Ngoc Van