As many as 200 outstanding young overseas Vietnamese from 24 nations worldwide returned to their homeland to join the 2013 Vietnam Summer Camp as of July 11.

The annual event, organised by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) since 2003, creates an opportunity for overseas youngsters to learn about national traditions, culture and history, as well as enhancing solidarity and exchanges.

This year’s camp, themed “10 years – The call of the homeland”, marks the 10th anniversary of its foundation.

“I sought much information about Vietnam on the Internet before coming back to join the camp,” said 18-year-old Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh, a Vietnamese resident in the Czech Republic.

“I promise to study harder and contribute more to the development of a beautiful, peace-loving Vietnam.

The Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese Government have long considered the overseas Vietnamese community an integral part of the nation that has formed a great bloc of national unity.

According to Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of COVA Nguyen Thanh Son, the 10th Vietnam Summer Camp aims to help overseas Vietnamese youth better understand the history and culture of their nation of origin, therefore enhancing their attachment to the country.

The camp is scheduled to open in northeast Ha Giang province and move through nine different provinces down to the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

Participants will have the chance to take part in a string of activities, namely youth exchanges, offering incense at the King Hung temple complex and visiting the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Source: VNA