Meanwhile, workshops and talks are still being held some places in the country on how to get overseas Vietnamese to return home.

These events again and again point out figures about the potentials of the community of more than 2 million overseas Vietnamese, including around 300,000 intellectuals in all fields and emphasise the necessity of attracting overseas Vietnamese intellectuals without specific solutions and the difficulties that overseas Vietnamese intellectuals are facing when they want to return home to work.

So far, the number of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals returning to Vietnam to work in HCM City is very modest. Their aspirations are hindered by incomprehensible barriers from some state agencies. What are they? The very least of them is bureaucracy.

After Resolution 36 was issued, there was a big plan written up by the government of related ministries with specific tasks, such as organising Vietnamese language teaching for overseas Vietnamese, surveying the situation of overseas Vietnamese who are living abroad and in Vietnam, supporting overseas Vietnamese intellectuals, attracting the brains of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals.

However, the issuance of documents guiding the implementation of this plan and arrangement of funding for this plan have been very slow and overseas Vietnamese intellectuals are still waiting for an opportunity to work at home.

For many overseas Vietnamese intellectuals, difficulties associated with immigration formalities, house purchasing, naturalising as Vietnamese, importing goods and equipment serving charity activities at home and preferential treatment policies of the state are not as important as a clear mechanism that gives them favourable conditions to work at home.

How about the role of the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese? Actually, this is a state management agency but in HCM City, not many people know about its functions. Most people and even state officials consider this agency an association or a club of overseas Vietnamese.

Without power, this committee can only deal with general tasks, not specific management activities though it has various specialised departments.

This committee previously raised the idea of establishing a sci-tech club for overseas Vietnamese, a commercial joint stock bank of overseas Vietnamese, building a bonded warehouse for high-quality Vietnamese products exported to countries where there are many overseas Vietnamese, building a village for overseas Vietnamese intellectuals in Vietnam, establishing Vietnamese cultural centres abroad, etc. However, only the sci-tech club of overseas Vietnamese has been set up. However, it is operating perfunctorily.

A Vietnamese French intellectual said: “In France, I have two villas, a remarkable bank account, successful children and a harmonious family. I’m 60 years old already, the age that I need to be to return home to do something, even something small but meaningful for my life. But they (Vietnamese agencies where he submitted applications) don’t answer my petition. Are they so busy? If I return home and I can’t do anything, so my job in Paris is unfinished.” 

Source: TBKTVN