The first global expatriates conference is scheduled to take place in Hanoi from Nov. 21-23 to tap into the full potential of overseas Vietnamese during national construction.

The event is expected to attract nearly 1,500 participants, including 900 overseas Vietnamese. It will focus on efforts to build up a strong overseas Vietnamese community with firm ties to their homeland, conserve the nation’s cultural identity and traditions and to encourage overseas Vietnamese intellectuals and businesses to contribute to national construction.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son, who doubles as Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, said that the expatriate population has now reached almost 4 million, who live in over 100 different countries and territories around the world.

Of them almost 300,000 are specialists and intellectuals and many hold senior positions in world famous research institutes, universities and hospitals in their adopted countries or in international organisations.

They can serve as an effective bridge between Vietnam and the rest of the world in terms of transferring technologies and promoting trade and many already have done so, Son added.

The overseas Vietnamese business community has grown rapidly in both quantity and potential and has a positive influence on other countries as well as making it advantageous for Vietnam in terms of international relations, the senior diplomat emphasised.

As a result, expatriates have invested almost 2 billion USD in nearly 3,000 projects in Vietnam, in addition to a considerable amount of annual remittances, which hit almost 7 billion USD last year even during the global economic slowdown.

Son also recognised the charitable activities undertaken by overseas Vietnamese, which have contributed a lot to easing the nation’s difficulties.

In recognition of the overseas Vietnamese community being an integral part of the nation and a valuable resource, the State has issued numerous preferential policies such as visa exemptions, permission to hold duel citizenship and a loosening up of the regulations on buying land.

This is aimed at meeting the legitimate aspirations of expatriates as well as encouraging them to return home for family reunions and holidays, developing their investments and making other contributions to national construction, said Son.

The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese has launched a number of annual programmes such as Lunar New Year get-togethers, free organised tours for elite expatriates during major festivals such as the death anniversary of the Hung Kings and National Day as well as holding summer camps for overseas Vietnamese young people and children./.