VietNamNet Bridge – Vu Hong Nam, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the National Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, spoke to Dai Doan Ket (Great National Unity) newspaper about the role of Overseas Vietnamese.

Will you please tell us some of the most outstanding activities organised by the National Committee for Overseas Vietnamese in 2015?

Many important national events were organised, including the 85th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam; the 40th Liberation Day of South Viet Nam; the 70th National Day and the 125th birth anniversary of the late President Ho Chi Minh.

Among participants attending those events were many overseas Vietnamese. Their presence was a strong demonstration of Viet Nam's policy of considering overseas Vietnamese as a part and parcel of the nation.

Reviewing the year 2015, I should say it is a successful year for our committee. A significant opener of a series of activities in 2015 was the Programme of Homeland Spring organised in HCM City at the onset of the 2015 Lunar New Year Festival with the participation of thousands of Overseas Vietnamese.

In 2016, we plan to organise a tour to Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago for Overseas Vietnamese.

One of our focus activities is to maintain and hold high the Vietnamese cultural identity, particularly the Vietnamese language among the Overseas Vietnamese, particularly the young generation. For the case of Laos and Cambodia, we have provided Vietnamese text-books to children and even given financial support to build schools for them.

Another activity I would like to mention was the holding of several consultation workshops with invited guests from both inside and outside Viet Nam on Viet Nam's socio-economic development plan in the period from 2016 to 2020 and the political report to be presented at the coming 12th national Party Congress, which is scheduled to take place in late January 2016.

On December 27, our committee will organise a dialogue between enterprises run by overseas Vietnamese and domestic Vietnamese. It is expected Vietnamese entrepreneurs from 20 countries will attend the event. Following that forum, we will also organise dialogues between Overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs with local people in the two provinces of Ha Noi and Vinh Phuc. The dialogues will be a good occasion for Overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs and local people to share their difficulties and challenges in starting their new business.

In your opinion, what areas do most Overseas Vietnamese want to invest in the homeland?

In my opinion, the majority of Overseas Vietnamese want to invest in trade. This is easy to understand as they know what people in the countries where they are residing want to buy and what Viet Nam can provide them and vice versa.

In the up coming Monday dialogue, one of the topics discussed will be what Viet Nam can offer when the TPP comes into force or FTAs that Viet Nam has signed with several countries or the ASEAN Economic Community, which will come into force in 2016. We hope through the dialogue, Overseas Vietnamese people will further understand about the lucrative market at home.

Will you please further elaborate on the campaign "Vietnamese people use Vietnamese goods" among the Overseas Vietnamese?

I should say following the launch of the campaign by the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, each Overseas Vietnamese Chapter abroad has organised many activities calling on Vietnamese people abroad to give priority to Vietnamese goods. We have served as a bridge to link Vietnamese enterprises at home with foreign markets where many Vietnamese people are living.

VNS