VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese students are not required return to Vietnam after finishing their studies overseas, as they can serve the fatherland anywhere in the world, said Chair of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan.

Nhan spoke at a meeting with former graduates of the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted in Hanoi, which has produced many excellent students who have studied at many prestigious schools and worked for many large multinational groups.

Prior to Nhan’s statement, many experts had bad expressed concern about the brain drain in Vietnam.

They believe that with the loosened policy on overseas student management, Vietnam is wasting money on training as it has lost talent.

Students who have stayed overseas have been criticised and described as “biting the hand that feeds them”.

However, Nhan believes that Vietnamese can serve the fatherland no matter where they are in the world, if they remember that they have Vietnamese origin and the country’s images in their hearts.

“It would be better not to request graduates to return. It would be great if they continue studying and practicing to have higher qualifications, and then  return to work in Vietnam,” Nhan said.  “Of course, Vietnam always welcomes students back to devote themselves to the fatherland. However, we should respect their decisions.”

Vu Dinh Chuan, director of the secondary education department of the Ministry of Education and Training, also said that the ministry respects the students’ eagerness for study.

“Studying overseas is a good way to receive knowledge necessary to serve the country. Many Vietnamese have been following this way. Professor Ngo Bao Chau, a mathematician, is a typical example,” Chuan said.

Ngo Bao Chau is now a math professor at the University of Chicago in the US. However, he travels between the US and Vietnam, where he heads an advanced math institute and runs training programs.

“We believe that with the patriotic seeds sown in every Vietnamese heart, Vietnamese students from all over the world will each have their own way to bring benefits to the homeland,” Nhan said.

Van Chung