Friday, 12:23 24/01/2014
“Homeland Spring” brings warm Tet to Overseas Vietnamese
State President Truong Tan Sang has praised overseas Vietnamese (OVs) throughout the world for their significant contributions to socio-economic development and charitable activities in the homeland.
- He was addressing an art performance to welcome those overseas Vietnamese to the annual New Year programme called “Homeland Spring” that took place at the Thang Long imperial citadel in Hanoi on January 23.
He reiterated that the State sees overseas Vietnamese an integral part of the nation and has issued many policies encouraging them to do more for the homeland’s construction and development.
Co-hosted by the Foreign Ministry’s State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee and Vietnam Television, the “Homeland Spring” programme is part of activities to review the 10-year implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 36/NQ-TW on Overseas Vietnamese affairs.
Nguyen Thanh Son, head of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, stressed that overseas Vietnamese play a key role in strengthening ties with other countries .
He further said that Resolution 36 has fulfilled the aspirations of Vietnamese people abroad while calling for their participation in social activities at home.
The ten-year implementation of the resolution will be reviewed in March this year, he said, noting the committee will use the outcomes to roll out more suitable orientations and policies in order to bring into full play the strength of OVs.
According to the committee, nearly five million Vietnamese people are living in 103 countries and territories across the world, serving as a bridge linking Vietnam with the host countries.
Vu Huy Hoang, an overseas Vietnamese in Russia, said the Vietnamese community in the country has always looked back to the homeland and been ready to share difficulties with victims of natural disasters and those in need.
Phan Van Vuong, a businessman in Thailand, shared that although he spent his childhood in Thailand, he still had chances to enjoy the traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) festival with Chung cake (square glutinous rice cake) and parallel sentences.
“We will keep the beautiful tradition for our children and teach them how to preserve it for the next generations,” he said.
Tran Quang Luc from Ukraine said only when coming back home can he really feel the warm atmosphere of the traditional Tet festival although he and other OVs have celebrated the festival annually in the host country.
He expressed his wish that the State will make it easier for young people abroad to contribute to the country’s construction and development.
Sharing Luc’s views, Prof. Do Dinh Chien, who has spent over 50 years in France, suggested the State pay more attention to human resources to improve the country’s science and technology sector so that it is on par with other countries.
