VietNamNet Bridge – Procedures on registration of Vietnamese nationality maintenance will be shortened while the time for registration will be longer, Deputy Foreign Minister cum Chairman of the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Nguyen Thanh Son told the media on November 1.

Party Secretary General Nong Duc Manh met with overseas Vietnamese.

 

According to the Law on Vietnamese Nationality, which took effect on July 1 2009, overseas Vietnamese who wish to maintain Vietnamese nationality have to register with the Vietnamese diplomatic agency in the respective countries where they live. The registration will be valid for five years, starting from the day the Law on Vietnamese Nationality takes effect.

The registration of Vietnamese nationality is considered a measure for the Vietnamese State to know who, of over three million Vietnamese living abroad wish to maintain Vietnamese nationality.  It is a measure through which the State can  verify their citizenship, manage Vietnamese citizenship,  and protect overseas Vietnamese.

It is estimated that around 70 percent of overseas Vietnamese still keep Vietnamese nationality.

Deputy Minister Thanh Son said that since the registration was implemented, the Foreign Ministry has not received any complaint from overseas Vietnamese.

However, Son said that the procedures should be further simplified for people who live in the countries that do not yet have Vietnamese diplomatic agencies. At present, they have to directly register at Vietnamese diplomatic agencies in their host countries or the nearest neighboring countries.

Son stated that in the future, overseas Vietnamese can maintain their Vietnamese nationality on the Internet or through mandate. The duration for registration may be lengthened.

The policy on nationality for overseas Vietnamese will be discussed at the first national conference to review six years of implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 36 on overseas Vietnamese affairs later this week in Hanoi.

Linh Thu