Berlin (VNA) – The Vietnamese Party and State have consistently created appropriate platforms for overseas Vietnamese (OV) to contribute their intellect and experience to major national affairs, a Vietnamese scholar in Germany has said, highlighting the growing role of the OV in the country’s development.
Speaking to a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent in Germany, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hong Thai from the University of Stettin underscored the strong and enduring bond between the overseas Vietnamese and their homeland. He noted that recent efforts to solicit opinions from OVs on the draft documents for the 14th National Party Congress demonstrate a sound and forward-looking policy that values the intelligence, dedication and sense of responsibility of Vietnamese living abroad.
According to Thai, this initiative reflects the Party and State’s respect for overseas Vietnamese and could be expanded further, particularly within the Vietnamese community in Germany, which comprises a wide range of professionals, intellectuals and entrepreneurs with deep international exposure.
He observed that the majority of overseas Vietnamese in Germany always wish to contribute to the nation’s development. This aspiration is reflected not only in financial support, such as donations to compatriots affected by natural disasters and floods each year, but also in the strong spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance within the community, in line with the traditional Vietnamese value of “the fortunate helping the less fortunate.”
He noted that overseas Vietnamese now clearly understand that remittances are no longer the sole or decisive factor in Vietnam’s development, as they once were, given that the country has made significant strides and is no longer among the world’s poorest nations. Instead, the OVs increasingly hope that their second generation who possess international knowledge, skills and experience will make more substantive and sustainable contributions to the homeland.
On a personal note, Thai expressed his desire to contribute more actively to Vietnam’s scientific and technological development, aiming at building a country that develops harmoniously, with a strong economy, a civilised society, a rich and distinctive cultural identity, and deep international integration./.
