Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities and Vietnam Fatherland Front officials met overseas Vietnamese on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Horse on January 29.

At the get-together (Source: VNA)

The event was attended by 700 overseas Vietnamese from nations and territories across the world returning to the city for the Lunar New Year.

At the meeting, Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh city People’s Committee reviewed socio-economic achievements the city had gained over the past year and outlined the main development orientations in 2016.

The overseas Vietnamese have continuously been an integrated part of the nation, Phong reiterated, adding that the Government has issued numerous incentives for overseas Vietnamese to do business and live in their home country.

The remittances sent to the City have seen an annual average growth from 8-10 percent. The figure reached over 5.5 billion USD in 2015, up 10 percent from 2014.

The city leader expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese will continue serving as a bridge to connect Vietnam and other nations in the world, and will contribute to promoting the image of the city and the nation in international integration and development.

On this occasion, HCM City’s authorities presented certificates of merit to overseas Vietnamese individuals, organisations and businesses, who had contributed largely to the city’s growth in 2015.

At the event, participants also visited a photo exhibition featuring the city’s socio-economic development achievements.

Tet gathering held for international community in Vietnam

Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan has attributed the achievements Vietnam has attained to the solidarity, friendship and cooperation with other nations worldwide.

She made the remarks at a get-together held prior to the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival for representatives of the diplomatic corps, international organisations and non-governmental organisations in Hanoi on January 29.

She described the assistance and support given by the international community in 2015 as valuable and practical for Vietnamese people to move forward.

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Vu Xuan Hong reported that Vietnam has stepped up friendship and cooperation with others globally and a network of the country’s friends across nations and continents has been consolidated and operated actively.

The foreign non-governmental aid of nearly 300 million USD was significant for poverty reduction, socio-economic, healthcare and education development, environmental protection, aid relief, climate change response and war consequence settlement in Vietnam, Hong noted.

Representing the diplomatic corps, Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Rondón Uzcátegui sent the best wishes to Vietnamese people on the approaching 2016 Lunar New Year.

He showed delight that the remarkable socio-economic development recorded in 2015 consolidated Vietnam’s role as a responsible nation in the international arena.

He also said the freshly-ended 12 th National Party Congress was crucial for the country to review the values and plans of its successful revolutionary process.

He also expressed his belief that under the Communist Party of Vietnam’s leadership, Vietnam will achieve social security and happiness for its people.

According to NGO Resource Centre Managing Co-Director Marko Lovrekovic, around 1,000 NGOs continue their programmes and projects involving healthcare, education, rural development, climate change, natural disaster risk management, child rights production, assistance to people with disabilities, victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, and war-aftermath overcoming efforts.

Marko Lovrekovic pledged that the NGO community will do its best to help Vietnam beat poverty reduction and secure growth.

Vietnamese associations abroad seek to improve activities

Diplomats and stakeholders converged at a seminar in Hanoi on January 30 to share experience to improve Vietnamese association and union activities abroad.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Vu Hong Nam said, currently there are nearly 4.5 million Vietnamese working and studying in 103 countries and territories worldwide.

Associations and unions abroad have played their productive part in national construction and defence and serve as a bridge of friendship between Vietnam and host countries, he said.

Pham Van Duc, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Angola, said the Vietnamese community in the country established various associations targeting women, youths, war veterans and businesspeople, which have fostered solidarity and exchanges among members.

Chairman of the Vietnamese Business Association in France Nguyen Hai Nam said around 400,000 Vietnamese are presently active in 100 different associations and unions that have garnered enthusiastic support from young people.

In order to improve the role of Vietnamese associations in Cambodia, member of the executive board of the General Association of Vietnamese Cambodian People Nguyen Huy Mao called for opening more Vietnamese language classes to preserve cultural identity and better connect Vietnamese nationals together.

Participants suggested that the State and diplomatic representative agencies should help Vietnamese associations and unions abroad with information updates and through networking with the host countries’ relevant units.

Vietnamese associations and unions activities should uphold the role of the community, members’ interests and promote patriotism, they said, adding that the campaign “Vietnamese community abroad preserving the mother tongue” should also be spread widely.

Tet celebrations in Eygpt, US, Laos, UAE

Vietnamese nationals living in Egypt gathered at the Vietnamese embassy on January 29 to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Do Hoang Long updated participants on Vietnam’s latest socio-economic developments and orientations for 2016-2020.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese community across the world, including those in Egypt, are an inseparable part of the nation and hailed their part in fostering friendship between the two countries.

The overseas Vietnamese were treated with traditional dishes, folk games and music performances.

On the occasion, the embassy launched a display of documents and materials featuring the success of the recently-closed 12th National Party Congress, Vietnam’s achievements during the 30-year renovation and a traditional cultural exhibit.

In Houston city in the US state of Texas, more than 200 distinguished guests joined in Tet celebrations with Vietnamese students, businesspeople and expatriates working in the country at the Vietnamese Consulate General headquarters.

In his speech, Vietnamese Consul General Nguyen Van Hoa conveyed his best New Year wishes to the guests.

He gave praise to the positive development of Vietnam – US ties after 20 years of normalisation of relations, as well as closer connections between the Consulate General and the Vietnamese community in southern US states, since its establishment five years ago.

Guests generally expressed their optimism about the prospect of bilateral ties in investment, trade and education, believing that the Consulate General is the first destination for future exchanges.

The same day, at the Vietnamese embassy in Vientiane, Laos, Ambassador Nguyen Manh Hung conveyed Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s best New Year wishes to Lao leaders and guests attending the banquet.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister Phankham Viphavan, confidently stated that the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples are an invaluable asset and the two countries will harvest great achievements in 2016.

In the jubilant and warm atmosphere, attendees enjoyed Lao and Vietnamese traditional dishes and music performances.

A Tet celebration was also held by the Vietnamese embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), bringing together nearly 400 Vietnamese who are living and working in the country.