According to the Assistant to the Foreign Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, Tran Quang Hoan, the Committee is doing everything it can to facilitate the return of Viet Kieu.

The government has put forth regulations that allow overseas Vietnamese and foreign individuals and organizations to purchase houses, land and otherwise invest in Phu Quoc Island. Many want to know if these regulations will be applied in other localities, as well.

The new regulations apply only to Phu Quoc. Other localities remain subject to older policies. Only certain groups of people are allowed to invest under the National Assembly Standing Committee’s guidelines. They are overseas Vietnamese who want to return home and whom the State deems worthy, cultural experts, scientists and other skilled people.

We know that many Viet Kieu expect further loosening of the restrictions, not only in Phu Quoc but elsewhere. Many overseas Vietnamese who are over 50 and who are expecting to soon retire on a pension wish to return home to buy land and settle down in their golden years.

Resolution 36, which was issued in 2004, recognizes Viet Kieu as a vital part of the worldwide Vietnamese community. So, why have policies that facilitate the return of overseas Vietnamese been so slow in developing?

The simple answer is that while the rules are in place, the State faces obstacles from various ministries, sectors and localities who prescribe their own regulations that run contrary to National laws. For the smooth implementation of resolutions that lure home overseas Vietnamese, the government must count on the unification of state management bodies and localities.

In the meantime, the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese is working to deal with problems related to housing and visas to facilitate a quick return home for Viet Kieu. Unfortunately, no definite time frame can be given, because the process if dependent on so many factors.

Before the Lunar New Year, it was announced that the Ministry of Public Security will grant visas to overseas Vietnamese at the Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat and Da Nang international airports on a trial basis. Yet, this decision has still not been implemented, and many wonder why.

At present, discussion of the policy between related ministries and sectors is delaying its implementation. The government’s wish to abolish visas for overseas Vietnamese, altogether, has met with other obstacles. There are questions of other foreign passports, certificates of Vietnamese origin and ensuring personal papers are not counterfeited. The government must also work with international airlines to ensure the security of the process.

While some Viet Kieu have already returned home, most of them are around 50 years old. Vietnamese people around the world, as well as the State, wonder how younger Viet Kieu will be lured back home.

The Committee for Overseas Vietnamese’s response to this is to teach Vietnamese youth abroad their native language. The organization has spearheaded campaigns in communities in countries around the globe to connect overseas citizens with their language and culture.

One specific project to help overseas Vietnamese youth interact with their counterparts from home involves Vietnam camps that have brought more than 100 young people from twenty countries home to study about their native culture in the past two years.

This year, the committee is planning other programs to bring overseas Vietnamese youth home. They also plan to organize meetings between young Viet Kieu in different regions, like Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Source: VNE, 27/02/2006