Nguyen Phu Binh

2005 witnessed many positive changes in the overseas Vietnamese community. The life of the communities remained stable and further integrated into host societies. A certain number, especially third and second generation overseas Vietnamese, are assuming higher positions and roles in host societies. Overseas Vietnamese intellectuals, especially in advanced science and technology and other spearhead industries, are increasing in number. They have become an increasingly valuable intelligent force for national development.

The activities of associations were strengthened, especially in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Russia, Czech, Poland, Ukraine, Germany etc, contributing to enhancing the unity and mutual assistance in the communities and the friendly relationship between host countries and Vietnam. Many associations, non-governmental organizations and professional organizations of overseas Vietnamese people in Western countries and the United States conducted scientific cooperation and humanitarian activities to assist people in Vietnam.

Overseas Vietnamese were pleased and more confident in the guidelines and policies of the Party and State. Overseas people moved closer to the fatherland and in 2005 the number of overseas Vietnamese people visiting the Vietnam was estimated to have increased by 10%-15% compared with 2004, or about 480,000 persons. Remittances by overseas Vietnamese rose over recent years. More and more overseas people engaged in education, health care and humanitarian activities to assist people in the country affected by natural disasters and epidemics.

A new noteworthy development was that in some complex areas, overseas Vietnamese people changed their attitude from keeping silent to struggling against hostile activities towards fatherland by some extremist and reactionary overseas Vietnamese persons. A number of people directly confronted parliamentary forum and expressed their support for the State of Vietnam and development of relationships with Vietnam. Many overseas Vietnamese wrote articles and conducted interviews to protest against the hostile activities against Vietnam by some extremist overseas Vietnamese groups. Associations and organizations were actively mobilized people to boycott hostile activity, and struggle against and expose the reactionary nature of the extremist persons.

The most important factor positively impacting the overseas Vietnamese community and making people more confident in the State of Vietnam was the socio-economic and cultural achievements in Vietnam and its increasing position in the international arena and the better relationship between host countries and Vietnam.

2005 was the second year of implementing resolution No 36 of the Politburo on affairs related to overseas Vietnamese communities and the action plan of the Government to implement the resolution. This was also an important factor encouraging overseas people to be closer to the fatherland. In 2005, the administration at all levels and provinces actively implemented the resolution and plan and attained encouraging achievements in following aspects:

First, implementing properly the task of protecting citizens according to provisions of law.

In friendship visits to foreign countries, the leaders of our Party and State always urged the host governments to create favorable conditions for our overseas people to live in peace and integrate into local communities.

Our Government also signed consulate agreements with foreign countries. At the same time, our diplomatic representative offices in foreign countries considered the protection of the legitimate interests of overseas Vietnamese people as one of their most important tasks.

Second, exercising the policy of great national unity and considering overseas Vietnamese community an integral part of the Vietnamese nation.

In 2005, many overseas Vietnamese people visited the fatherland and attended anniversaries of great festive days such as the outstanding overseas Vietnamese delegation that visited Vietnam to celebrate the Rooster lunar new year festival, the overseas Vietnamese delegation that visited and attended the national festival of the Hung Vuong ancestor, and the overseas Vietnamese delegation that visited and attended the 60^th anniversaries of August Revolution and the 2^nd September National day. Beside, overseas people were also given favorable conditions to attend the contest to study the 60-year history of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and attend the 7^th National Emulation Congress etc.

Thanks to the policy of great national unity of our Party and State, Mr. Nguyen Cao Ky was able to visit the fatherland many times, Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and 190 Buddhist followers of Lang Mai Pagoda visited Vietnam for 3 months, composer Pham Duy returned home and some of his songs were sung in Vietnam.

Third, the overseas Vietnamese communities were always considered one of the nation’s forces.

Based on the consistent policy of considering overseas Vietnamese community one of the nation’s forces, many policies and measures have been reviewed, amended and newly introduced in order to create more favorable conditions for overseas people to invest and do business in the country and contribute their intelligence to national development. The project "Policies and measures to attract overseas Vietnamese intellectuals" is being prepared in order to attract overseas Vietnamese intellectuals and entrepreneurs and investors to contribute their talent to the national development. Domestic organizations joined efforts to successfully organized a workshop on "Overseas intellectuals and the construction of fatherland" so as to attract the intelligence of overseas intellectuals. Ministries, provinces, research institutions and production entities have paid more attention to inviting overseas intellectuals and specialists to return to work, teach, transfer technology and assist relevant industries, especially in education and health care.

Fourth, continuing to disseminate information and cultural activities to serve overseas Vietnamese communities.

In 2005, the dissemination of information and cultural exchanges were also enhanced to help overseas people better understand the situation in Vietnam. Overseas people have had better access to updated information on the country’s situation via television and radio broadcasting programs such as through VTV 4, Voice of Vietnam and Vietnamese magazines and electronic newspapers, including the electronic newspaper of the Vietnamese Communist Party.

Exchange activities between overseas community and local residents were also enhanced and expanded via the Program on Returning to National Culture on the occasion of the anniversaries of the August Revolution and National Day. A number of artist delegations visited foreign countries to conduct art performances for overseas people while overseas artists also came and performed in the homeland. Support for overseas Vietnamese communities to teach and learn Vietnamese was also carried out by relevant agencies and offices both at home and abroad.

Fifth, more attention was given to the second and third generations of overseas Vietnamese people.

2005 was the second year in which the Vietnam Summer Camp was organized for nearly 100 overseas Vietnamese teenagers and youths. Vietnamese classes were opened in France for young overseas Vietnamese people. Exchanges between overseas and domestic youths were diversified through cultural, art, physical exercise and sport activities and the youth volunteer movement.

Sixth, raising the operational effectiveness of the Overseas Vietnamese People Assistance Fund.

After two years of operation, a number of projects were financed by the Fund to support educational activities for overseas people in some difficult areas, and organize homeland visits for overseas youth, intellectuals and outstanding overseas Vietnamese people to intensify the relationship between overseas Vietnamese communities and local resident.

The mobilization of overseas Vietnamese communities, however, faced many limitations. Beside the general difficulties of the country, some contents of the resolution No 36 and the action plan of the Government belonging to the responsibility of some ministries were slowly implemented according to their schedules. In some provinces, the guidelines and policies of the Party and State were not properly and consistently implemented. Although our Party and State emphasized the policy of great national unity, perceptions and action plans were not changed or implemented synchronously on some sensitive and complex issues.

Some legitimate aspirations of overseas people were slowly addressed such as learning Vietnamese, cumbersome administrative procedures in investment, business and immigration, residence, spirit and humanitarian activities. The general aspirations of overseas Vietnamese communities concerning resolution No 36 and the action plan of the Government would be soon institutionalized in the forms of concrete and appropriate policies and measures suitable to the new situation.

Despite of the above-mentioned limitations, with the current policies and those to be introduced in the foreseeable future, it is expected that overseas Vietnamese communities will have more favorable conditions to maintain close links with the homeland, bring into full play their patriotism, national pride, unity and affectionate spirit in their relationships with the people in the homeland so as to jointly build an independent, unified, and strong country, and a equitable, democratic and civilized society.

Source: Communist Review, No.99-2006