The assessment was made by Phan Kien Cuong, an economic arbitrator in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Vienna, and Deputy Director of the Viet Nam Centre for Economic and Trade Development Consulting (VICENDETI), in an interview with the Viet Nam News Agency's correspondent in Prague.
According to Cuong, these activities reaffirm the consistent position of the Party and State that overseas Vietnamese are “an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation and an important resource for national development.”
He stressed that inviting and listening to feedback from overseas Vietnamese is not symbolic, but embedded in formal, institutionalised policy frameworks.
Alongside in-person conferences, forums for overseas Vietnamese and high-level meetings, Viet Nam has diversified consultation channels through overseas representative offices, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, online platforms and community associations. This approach, he said, enables overseas Vietnamese across different regions, professions and circumstances to contribute “more conveniently, promptly and effectively.”
Notably, dialogues have expanded beyond external affairs and community-related issues to encompass strategic and foundational areas such as national development orientation, Party building, institutional reform, science and technology, education and culture. This demonstrates that the Party and State do not view overseas Vietnamese merely as a group to mobilise, but as stakeholders in policymaking and policy review, with advantages in expertise, international experience and diverse perspectives.
Cuong emphasised that these forums also send a clear message that the Party and State value, respect and create conditions for overseas Vietnamese to remain closely connected with the homeland and contribute to national development. This approach helps consolidate trust, enhance social consensus, gradually narrow psychological and historical gaps, and foster a sense of responsibility and national pride within the overseas Vietnamese community, he commented.
He described the creation of dialogue platforms for overseas Vietnamese as a vivid manifestation of the great national unity policy in a new context. While acknowledging room for improvement in feedback and response mechanisms to ensure greater transparency and clarity, he noted that the overall trend is “increasingly open, substantive and in-depth,” helping make overseas Vietnamese policies more effective and sustainable.
Regarding community responses, Cuong said overseas Vietnamese have generally reacted positively and become more proactive and substantive in engaging with Party and State initiatives, reflecting a strong desire to accompany Viet Nam’s development. In recent consultation rounds, many overseas Vietnamese, particularly intellectuals, entrepreneurs and experts, have carefully studied draft documents, submitted written feedback and participated in specialised seminars and discussions.
This, he said, shows that overseas Vietnamese are no longer focused solely on community interests, but increasingly concerned with the country’s long-term strategic issues.
Their priorities for contribution include knowledge transfer, management experience, science and technology, and innovation especially in areas where Viet Nam has strong demand such as digital transformation, green growth, healthcare, education and high-tech industries. They also aspire to invest, connect markets and expand international cooperation networks to help Vietnamese products and businesses integrate more deeply into global value chains, he held.
Many contributions, he noted, are constructive, candid and heartfelt, reflecting aspirations for sustainable development, effective governance, a stable legal system and a transparent investment environment. This underscores that overseas Vietnamese, despite living and working abroad, remain closely engaged with domestic developments and seek to make long-term, meaningful contributions.
At the same time, overseas Vietnamese expect continued improvements in mechanisms for receiving and responding to feedback, a more enabling legal environment for returning to work, invest and conduct research, and stronger coordination hubs to better harness the community’s intellectual resources.
Cuong concluded by affirming that overseas Vietnamese are increasingly demonstrating a commitment to contribute in a substantive, sustained and responsible manner. This represents “a particularly important resource” which, if effectively mobilised, can make a significant contribution to Viet Nam’s development in the new phase, he stated.
