HCM City: Second Home to Overseas Vietnamese

The Committee on Overseas Vietnamese is the only state agency specialising in overseas Vietnamese, set up by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee. The move reflects the city’s leaders’ special concern about the Vietnamese people living abroad. Initially, the committee was the team for laisoning Overseas Vietnamese, set up in 1976. It was then renamed to the Committee for Laisoning Overseas Vietnamese, which was subordinated to the city’s Fatherfront Committee in 1978. It served returning overseas Vietnamese and explored their desire and helped them seek answers to their queries. On June 8, 1981, the People’s Committee decided to set up the Overseas Vietnamese Committee under its management. On December 15, 1994, the People’s Committee issued a decision to found the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese. Many years ago, when Vietnam was imposed economic embargo by the United States and the homeland economy was very difficult; the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese initiated and joined hands with overseas Vietnamese-run enterprises to send remittances, drugs and medical equipment to relatives in Vietnam. Until now, the flows of overseas remittances keep increasing year after year. In the first six months of 2008 alone, the overseas remittance approximated US$3 billion.

 

Annually, the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese holds meetings and seminars for specialists, intellects, overseas Vietnamese and relevant authorities. Then, it disseminates information, exchanges contents and measures to carry out the policies of the State and the Party on overseas Vietnamese. It also answers requests related to legal issues when they live and work in Vietnam. It gathers and sends proposals to competent authorities like tax collectors, customs offices, entry and exit procedures, residence registration, marriage, inheritance, property ownership, citizenship registration, Vietnamese nationality verification and others. Every year, it hosts traditional meetings on the occasion of traditional New Year, or Tet, which is the most important public holiday of the Vietnamese people in the year apart from private affairs like wedding. Since 2005,

 

Since 2005, the HCM City Youth Enterpreneur Association and relevant agencies have held exchanges between Overseas Vietnamese and local youths; camping trips "return to homeland" in each summer, creating favourable conditions for youths know more about the city and their homeland. The Committee on Overseas Vietnamese has built websites to update information about the national development and situation. Notably, the Committee on Overseas Vietnamese has helped overseas Vietnamese to set up associations such as the Overseas Vietnamese Business Association in HCM City. The associations are home to intellects, and Vietnamese businesses overseas. Information technology and high-tech are the most successful fields of theirs. Notably, overseas Vietnamese have made contributions to the opening of Quang Trung Software Park, and HCM City High-tech Zone. For example, Dr. Nguyen Chanh Khe, who has introduced Nano technology to Vietnam, is now Director of HCM City High-tech Zone’s Research Centre, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc My – President of Vabis Group who runs around 10 subsidiaries operating in different fields; Nguyen Huu Le – President of Board of Directors of TMA Group who employs more than 500 programmers, Duong David Trung (Vietnamese-American), Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of Solid Waste Treatment Joint Stock Company which has carried out a US$90 million project to build Da Phuoc Solid Waste Treatment Complex in Binh Chanh District). The complex was put into operation in November 2007 with capacity of 3,000 tonnes per day. The project has helped the city treat waste and protect the local environment; Yung Cam Meng – Cam Minh (Vietnamese Chinese), President of Board of Directors of Sieu Thanh Joint Stock Company who has invested VND83 billion in running business in machinery, industrial equipment, electronics…; Mrs. Nguyen Cao Thang (Vietnamese-American), President of Board of Directors of OPV … They have gained big achievements in running business in Vietnam.

 

Vietnamese Overseas own big potential for the national development and HCM City always creates favourable conditions for the subject. Addressing at the ceremony to present third-class Labour Medal to the Committee on Overseas Vietnamese in August 2008, Nguyen Thanh Tai – vice Chairman of HCM City People’s Committee expressed his hope the Committee on Overseas Vietnamese will make more efforts to encourage Overseas Vietnamese to unite closely and contribute more to the national development.