In his opening speech, Peter Hong, Vice President of the Business Association of Overseas Vietnamese (BAOOV), said that the number of Vietnamese expatriates amounts to some 5.3 million; they live and work across 130 countries and territories worldwide.
Wherever they are, overseas Vietnamese are always an integral part of the Vietnamese community and are an important resource in contribution to the nation’s construction, development and defense, he stated.
Peter Hong said he is looking forward to receiving comments from participants of the event in a bid to connect Vietnamese entrepreneurs around the world; call for and attract resources of Vietnamese individuals and collectives abroad to build and develop the economy at home.
Nguyen Phu Binh, head of the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese, said the amount of remittances to Vietnam in 2021 still increased to reach 18.1 billion USD. The expatriate community invested more than 1.7 billion USD in nearly 400 projects in Vietnam, while their enterprises have contributed to job creation, technology transfer, and socio-economic development in many localities throughout the country.
Binh said he hopes to promote the effectiveness of the remittance and investment sources.
Deputy head of the Foreign Ministry's State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Ngo Huong Nam said in each stage of the country's development, there has always been a significant contribution from the expatriates, including businesspeople.
Nam said over the past years, attention has been paid to mobilising and promoting resources from the community, with works underway to push for the formation of a network of presidents of business associations abroad.
Participating businesses said they want to strengthen their connection with domestic firms to boost the exports of Vietnamese goods to foreign markets.
Source: VNA