The director of the Department, Doan Dung, on April 28 told VietNamNet that the department twice sent documents to the four individuals, urging them to reimburse the funding because they did not return to the province to work in state agencies.

The individuals were sent overseas for a master’s degree program with the state’s money after they promised that they would return to Vietnam and take the jobs assigned to them.

However, they broke their commitments.

Dung said if the four individuals don’t pay back the money as requested by the end of the year, the department will advise the provincial people’s committee to take the cases to court.

In November 2019, the department released a decision asking individuals to pay twice as much as the amount used to fund their study overseas.

The decision clearly says that the individuals have to pay back the money within two years and pay in 10 installments. Each installment is one-tenth of total expenses at minimum.

H.T.L.V, the daughter of Huynh Chanh, former Director of the Quang Ngai Finance Department, has been asked to pay back VND2.05 billion. P.T.V, the son of Pham Tan Hoang, former chair of Quang Ngai City People’s Committee, has been asked to pay VND1.95 billion.

Meanwhile, N.L.N.H, the daughter of Nguyen Chin, former head of the Quang Ngai Provincial Party Committee’s Organization Board, has to pay VND2.4 billion, and P.T.M.H, the daughter of Pham Thanh Hai, former head of the Quang Ngai provincial Party Committee Propaganda and Education Committee, VND3.5 billion.

By April 13, these individuals still had not paid back all the money per the decision of the Department of Home Affairs. They had paid VND2.78 billion out of the total VND9.8 billion they are obligated to pay.

P.T.V has paid VND1 billion in five installments, and N.L.N.H, VND1.2 billion in five installments. Meanwhile, P.T.H has paid only once, VND170 million, and H.T.L.V paid VND410 million in two installments.

On May 29, 2012, the Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee released Decision 89 on sending some individuals to overseas training courses as part of a project on producing personnel with master’s and doctoral degrees and attracting highly qualified staff in the 2011-2015 period with a vision until 2020.

The total budget for the project implementation was VND150 billion, of which VND30 billion was spent on postgraduate training in Vietnam and VND118.5 billion was spent on overseas training.

Le Bang

Better incentives needed to attract Vietnamese talents to return to homeland: official

Luong Thanh Nghi, deputy head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs talks about the policies to attract young Vietnamese talents abroad. 

Giving opportunities to talented people

The level of income is necessary but not a prerequisite. We have to give qualified people the chance to do what they can do so that they feel like they are contributing to the community.