(VOV) – Millions of Vietnamese nationals abroad turn their hearts to the homeland, expecting to receive more Part and State incentives to contribute to the nation.
The Party and State consider Vietnamese nationals living and working overseas an indispensable part of national unity. To harness the potential of the overseas Vietnamese community, the Party and State have introduced a number of incentives encouraging OV contributions to the homeland.
The Party’s Political Bureau is reviewing 10 years of results from the 2004 resolution on overseas Vietnamese affairs. Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son, head of the National Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA), says the resolution was a successful patriotic inspiration for the majority of Vietnamese nationals overseas.
Vietnamese nationals in the US celebrating the Year of the Horse 2014
The COVA hosts an annual pre-Lunar New Year (Tet) get-together acknowledging OV contributions and soliciting their opinions and suggestions for the new year. Returning OVs appreciate the chance to meet, share their stories, and enjoy the atmosphere of Tet in the fatherland.
Montpellier University Physics Professor Do Dinh Chieu has lived in France for more than 50 years. Despite holding French citizenship, he still identifies as Vietnamese, and returns for six month visits to Vietnam to lecture and supervise graduate students completing their theses.
Chieu says young Vietnamese people are diligent, studious, and eager to learn. But their strength in science lies dormant and unused. He thinks the State should increase its investment in human resources training to ensure Vietnam keeps pace with other developing nations.
Tran Quang Luc, an OV from Ukraine, says there are more than 10,000 Vietnamese nationals residing in Ukraine, mostly in big cities like Kharkov, Kiev, Odessa, and Krivorok. Distance has not weakened community passions for traditional Vietnamese culture, language, identity, and festivals.
“Vietnamese classes are run where Vietnamese expatriates are most populous,” Luc says. “Most families communicate in Vietnamese to pass down the mother tongue to younger generations.”
Nguyen Thi Van Anh believes his fellow Vietnamese expatriates in Russia are the hardest workers in Europe. Celebrating Tet in Russia means a special party honouring ancestors, the selection of an auspicious first visitor at midnight on New Year’s Eve, and lucky money for children and the elderly.
The community relies on media agencies, online newspapers, the Voice of Vietnam (VOV), and Vietnam Television (VTV) to stay abreast of the happenings back home. During Central Region storms and floods, OVs in Russia organise fundraising drives on behalf of their compatriots back home.
At a recent Tet get-together hosted by VOV, successful entrepreneur and Thai resident Phan Van Vuong thanked the Party and State for the incentives offered to returning OVs.
Vuong is a member of the second expatriate Vietnamese generation in Thailand. He can recall the difficult 1970s when his family celebrated Tet abroad. Before 1969, Vuong and his relatives sat and listened to broadcasts of President Ho Chi Minh’s Tet wishes.
Le Quang Vinh, returning from Germany, appreciates his good fortune at being able to celebrate the Tet holiday with his family at home. He says the German Vietnamese community has learned to mimic traditional Tet festivities as best they can.
“Vietnamese supermarkets pre-stock almost all Tet delicacies. It only takes a mouse click or a phone call, and door-to-door service is ready to serve delivers the goods…Some people even purchase Dong leaves to make Banh Chung (a savoury cake made from sticky rice, green beans, pork, and pepper). Artificial peach or apricot blossoms conjure an atmosphere closer to Tet in Vietnam.”
Whenever possible, Vietnamese people strive to return to Tet celebrations in the villages, towns, and cities of their birth. For those unable to undertake the annual journey, making the best of Tet overseas is a way of remembering and honouring their roots.
Đăng ký: VietNam News