VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (OV) Affairs should coordinate together more closely to advise the Government on policies and solutions to ensure the legal rights of OV and encourage them to make more contributions to the country’s development.

Overview of the conference

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh made the suggestion during a conference in Hanoi on December 27, which reviewed the cooperation between the two agencies in the 2010-2016 period and seek measures to foster their affiliation in the next five years.

The Deputy PM noted that the majority of Vietnamese people abroad are successful in their careers and lives with high qualifications, who are a great brainpower source for the home country.

He stressed the need to call for OV, especially younger generations, to return to serve the development process in their homeland, highlighting the importance of effective communications and stronger cooperation between the VFF and the State Committee for OV Affairs.

The Deputy PM also pointed out a number of shortcomings in cooperation between the two agencies over the past years, including the limitations in popularising the Party and State’s policies, as well as in the exchange of information and providing domestic organisations with guidelines related to OV affairs.

In the 2016-2020 period, the two agencies should continue implementing the agreed contents in the coordination programme, while working together in revising legal documents and policies related to OV, thus proposing timely amendments and supplements, said Deputy PM Minh.

Besides jointly organising activities for OV, the two sides should provide instructions for local competent agencies and other political-social organisations in the work, he said, asking them to support OV in religious and belief activities both abroad and at home.

President of the VFF Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan held that the hosting of meetings for OV in the homeland should be made with the closer coordination between the two sides. He suggested the organisation of a meeting with OV during the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival to collect their feedback.

Nhan affirmed that from 2017, the VFF will organise regular meetings with OV experts, scientists, scholars and intellectuals to listen to their opinions.

The VFF leader emphasised the need to encourage OV come back to the homeland to establish startups and organise more art performances and contests to boost the preservation and promotion of Vietnamese cultural identity among OV communities.

He affirmed that 4.5 million OV are an inseparable part of the nation and authorities must adopt measures to help OV have better lives and encourage them to return to the homeland. 

VNA