Overseas Vietnamese gather in HCM City to mark National Day

The Ho Chi Minh City’s Committee for Overseas Vietnamese organised a meeting on September 1 with 100 representatives of the overseas community on the occasion of the 70th National Day (September 2).

Overseas Vietnamese have contributed significantly to national construction and defence and have been an important element in consolidating cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and other countries, Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, told the meeting.

Since 2004, overseas Vietnamese have sent remittances worth a combined 40 billion USD, accounting for 40-60 percent of the country's total. The figure was 5 billion USD last year.

Several millions of dollars have also been raised for charity by overseas Vietnamese.

Hundreds of experts have since returned home, bringing science and technology to serve the country.

At the meeting, the committee awarded the Labour Medal, third class, to Professor Dr Dang Luong Mo, a Japanese-Vietnamese who is an advisor to the Vietnam National University - HCM City , for his contributions to setting up the semi-conductor industry in Vietnam.

"I was very lucky to witness the revolution on August 19, 1945, and heard the Declaration of Independence by President Ho Chi Minh at Ba Dinh Square . At that time, though I was a little boy, I was aware of the significant change in Vietnam 's destiny," Mo said.

The committee also awarded the Prime Minister's certificate of merit to Professor Dr Vo Van Toi, Head of the microbiology faculty at the Vietnam National University – HCM City.

The Government and local authorities should realise that overseas Vietnamese experts have sacrificed their lives, futures, incomes and developments to return home, Toi said.

The city does plan to roll out such policies to use the unique skills of overseas Vietnamese.-VNA