Geneva (VNA) – Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW of the Politburo is of great significance in mobilising the resources of Vietnamese people living abroad, enabling them to serve as a bridge between Vietnam and the world and promote the country’s international integration, said Rachel Nguyen Isenschmid, Secretary General of the Swiss-Viet Economic Forum (SVEF).
In an interview with a VNA correspondent in Switzerland, Isenschmid said she highly values the spirit of Resolution No. 23, particularly its new perspective on the overseas Vietnamese community. She said the resolution not only affirms that overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part of the nation, but also identifies them as a strategic resource and a bridge between Vietnam and the world.
“What I particularly appreciate is the shift in thinking from mobilising and bringing people together to accompanying them, creating mechanisms and providing conditions for overseas Vietnamese to participate more deeply in the homeland’s development,” the SVEF Secretary General said.
Drawing on her many years of living and working in Switzerland, she said the resources of overseas Vietnamese today should not be viewed solely from a financial perspective. Equally important are knowledge, management experience, science and technology, international networks and the ability to connect Vietnam with global partners.
These are also the resources highlighted by Resolution No. 23, she said.
According to Isenschmid, contributing to the homeland does not necessarily mean returning to Vietnam. Overseas Vietnamese can serve as two-way bridges, bringing knowledge, technology, investment and international connections to Vietnam while helping the world gain a better understanding of a dynamic and innovative Vietnam that is increasingly integrated into the global community.
She said this is also what she and her colleagues are seeking to achieve through the SVEF by building a long-term platform to connect the governments, businesses, experts, academics and organisations of the two countries, thereby turning the relationships and resources of the overseas Vietnamese community into concrete cooperation for Vietnam and for Vietnam–Switzerland relations.
The SVEF Secretary General shared the forum’s plans for the coming period, aimed at continuing its mission of helping to further harness the capabilities of overseas Vietnamese experts in accompanying the homeland’s development.
In October, the SVEF is scheduled to organise an event in Hanoi with the participation of major Swiss corporations and Vietnamese experts.
Isenschmid said SVEF Hanoi 2026, slated for October 18–20, will be a particularly significant milestone as it comes at an important time in Vietnam–Switzerland relations.
The two countries are entering a new phase of economic cooperation this year. Negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), of which Switzerland is a member, officially concluded in July 2026 after years of negotiations, adding special significance to the series of activities in Hanoi, she elaborated.
She expressed her hope that SVEF Hanoi will be more than a forum for discussions on potential. More importantly, it should help turn dialogue into action, particularly in the new context created by the FTA, including how businesses from the two countries can make use of the agreement, how capital and investment flows can be connected, and how concrete projects and partnerships between Switzerland and Vietnam can be developed.
The programme is expected to bring together around 250–300 participants, including representatives of the governments, businesses, financial institutions, universities, experts and organisations from both countries.
Discussions will focus on practical areas relevant to Vietnam’s next stage of development, including finance and capital markets, industry and supply chains, infrastructure and logistics, green energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and the digital economy, healthcare, education and human resources, as well as the legal framework and market access following the FTA.
Isenschmid considered the upcoming event as a concrete example of the spirit of Resolution No. 23, under which overseas Vietnamese can act as catalysts not only through direct investment, but also by connecting broader resources, including businesses, technology, capital, knowledge and international networks, with domestic development needs.
She stressed that the SVEF hopes that each forum will result in more than meetings and exchanges, but will create connections that can develop into substantive cooperation after the event.
She expressed her belief that if such mechanisms and platforms are built and sustained over the long term, the resources of Vietnamese people living abroad can make an increasingly significant contribution to Vietnam’s development while helping bring Vietnam–Switzerland relations into a new phase./.
