HCM City leaders held a reception yesterday for a delegation of 800 Overseas Vietnamese (OV) from 26 countries and territories on the occasion of Tet 2019 (Lunar New Year).

On behalf of the city government, Nguyen Thien Nhan, secretary of HCM City Party Committee, extended his warmest greetings to the OV community, while applauding their contributions to the development of the country and HCM City in particular.

Nhan said the city would continue to foster reforms, industrialisation and the modernisation process, and international integration.

He expressed his hope that 800 overseas Vietnamese at the meeting would enhance solidarity, treasure traditional cultural identity, and serve as a bridge to connect Viet Nam and their host countries.

Nhan said: “HCM City has made great efforts to resolve urgent issues of the city such as traffic congestion and flooding, as well as climate change adaptation.”

“The city wants to continue to receive contribution from the OV community to develop the project of building smart urban areas,” he said.

Speaking at the meeting, Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the city People’s Committee, attributed the city’s socio-economic achievements in the past years to the significant contributions from the OV community.

The OV community is “an integral part of and a resource for development of the country,” he noted.

The number of OV residing in Viet Nam has been increasing over the years. In 2018 more than 420,000 OV came through Tan Son Nhat airport.

In recent years, OV have returned for not only to visit relatives but for investment.

In 2018, OV sent home US$15.9 billion worth of remittances, of which HCM City accounted for $5 billion. Seventy per cent of the remittances were used for production and business purposes, Phong noted.

More than 400 intellectuals and expatriates have returned to work in Viet Nam for long periods. Nearly 200 intellectuals have cooperated with universities, high-tech zones and hospitals for their projects.

Nearly 3,000 companies owned by OV have been granted business registration licenses, with charter capital of over VND45 trillion.

Each year more than 30,000 young OV visit their hometowns and find business opportunities with start-up projects, according to Phong.

Phong expressed his hope that the OV community would continue to join efforts with the Party, Government and residents of the city to implement the city’s socio-economic objectives in 2019.

At the meeting, members of the OV community expressed their delight at the country’s development.

Peter Hong, vice chairman of the Association of Overseas Vietnamese Businesses, said returning to their homeland has always been a special joy for all OV, especially on the occasion of Tet.

“The achievements in many fields of the whole country in general and HCM City in particular can help to attract more OV to develop the city.”

Impressed with the city’s robust development, Dr Dang Luong Mo, an Overseas Vietnamese in Japan, shared his enthusiasm in contributing to developing smart city.

He said that OV wanted to contribute to developing the city to become a smart city, which is an economic leader of the country, helping to achieve wealth, democracy, fairness and civilisation.

At the meeting, the city People’s Committee rewarded 19 individuals, including many businesspeople and intellectuals, who contributed to the city’s development in the 2016-2018 period.

On this occasion, a photo exhibition themed “HCM City welcomes overseas Vietnamese to celebrate Lunar New Year 2019”, showcased hundreds of photos about the city’s development.

The meeting is a traditional cultural activity held annually in HCM City to welcome OV back home for the traditional biggest holiday.

It is also an opportunity for them to meet and share experiences.

The meeting was organised by the City Party Committee, the People’s Council, the People’s Committee and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Committee. — VNS