President Nguyen Xuan Phuc: No matter where you are, you must never forget your roots.

On the afternoon of February 26, after many activities during his state visit to Singapore, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his delegation had a friendly meeting with embassy staff, nearly 100 overseas Vietnamese, students and pupils living and working in Singapore.

Reporting at the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung said that the visit of the President and his delegation this time has great significance in promoting Vietnam - Singapore relations, this is also the first state visit of a head of state to Singapore since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ambassador Mai Phuoc Dung reported at the meeting.

The President had many bilateral activities with Singaporean leaders, witnessing the exchange of many cooperation documents between ministries, sectors and enterprises of the two countries. The Ambassador assessed that this was a substantial result, creating new momentum in the strategic partnership in the coming time.

Ambassador Mai Phuoc Dung reported that the Vietnamese representative agency in Singapore has 18 officers and employees, a collective that always strives to fulfill its mission of promoting Vietnam-Singapore relations and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens in the host country.

The Embassy regularly organizes business connections and promotes investment cooperation between the two countries. Even during the pandemic, it has organized many online initiatives, contributing to maintaining the growth momentum of trade between the two countries.

The Vietnamese community in Singapore currently has about 13,000 people, including 4 main groups: about 9,000 students, about 2,000 researchers and intellectuals, about 1,500 Vietnamese brides, and about 1,500 workers. During the pandemic, 27 flights were organized, bringing more than 7,000 people back to the country.

Activities connecting Vietnamese people with the embassy are organized regularly, in many different forms. During the recent Tet holiday, people were very excited to return to their hometowns.

The Ambassador affirmed that overseas Vietnamese in Singapore always pay attention to the domestic situation and trust in the leadership of the Party, State, Government and National Assembly.

Following the Ambassador's report, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that in 2018, when he was the Prime Minister on an official visit to Singapore, during a meeting with overseas Vietnamese, he raised a question: where is Vietnam and how can Vietnam move faster on the path of integration and development?

The President said in today's meeting that he really wanted to hear opinions on this issue, especially suggestions on the strategies that the Party and State have proposed.

Dr. Vu Minh Khuong (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy - National University of Singapore) expressed his impression when following the schedule of the President's visit to Singapore, he saw that the President was always concerned about the issue of "how to make the country rise up".

As a member of the economic advisory board when the President was Prime Minister, Dr. Khuong said he had unforgettable memories working with the President.

Dr. Vu Minh Khuong.

"The President's visit to Singapore is not only the first head of state after two years of the pandemic, but also a loyal and trustworthy friend, showing a vision for the future and the will to bring Vietnam and its partners to cooperate together, so the significance of this visit is very great," said Mr. Khuong.

Singapore has become a model, an example of a poor country rising to the top position in the world, the world must come to learn. From this evidence, Mr. Khuong believes that with Vietnam's vision for 2045, resonating with "great potential, strong potential and especially the momentum to rise", Vietnam can certainly go faster and progress faster.

Head of the Vietnamese community liaison committee in Singapore Thai Thuy Lien thanked the President and the delegation for taking the time to meet overseas Vietnamese, which proves that the Party and State always care about and have special affection for overseas Vietnamese.

The Liaison Committee was established in 2014 and has become a trusted connection point for our people, a place for cultural exchange with other communities in Singapore. “Although we are far from our homeland, we always care, follow and are ready to join hands and unite with our country, helping our compatriots no matter how difficult the circumstances,” Ms. Lien emphasized.

Head of the Vietnamese community liaison committee in Singapore Thai Thuy Lien.

When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, the country was going through a difficult and loss-filled time, but the Vietnamese community here turned to support their compatriots and shared the difficulties of the local people. The members of the Liaison Committee work in many different professions but always operate on a voluntary, non-profit basis, with the motto of "unity, intelligence, patriotism and success".

This March, the Liaison Committee will launch a Vietnamese language project for the entire community with the goal of preserving and spreading the love of Vietnamese to international friends. This project will be for both Vietnamese and foreigners, with children being the first group to be implemented.

President of the Vietnamese Student Association in Singapore Nguyen Thao Nhi confided that last year, the Association coordinated with the Embassy to provide specific instructions and help more than 40 students in difficult circumstances return home.

The efforts of the Vietnamese Student Association in Singapore have been recognized as the Association has made remarkable progress in the rankings of overseas student associations, from last place in 2020 to third place in 2021.

The President presented gifts to the Liaison Committee of the Vietnamese community in Singapore.

In 2022, when the host country plans to relax regulations, the Association has big ambitions to connect and create more opportunities for students. In the near future, the Association will organize a career orientation event with the participation of more than 10 large enterprises in Vietnam and Singapore. The Association will also accompany the Liaison Committee in teaching Vietnamese and English classes for the Vietnamese community.

Vietnam - Singapore proud of Vietnamese community

Pleased to meet you, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, the President sends his warmest regards.

After listening to the heartfelt and responsible opinions, the President assessed that the Vietnamese community in Singapore, although not large, is educated.

This is the first time in two years that a head of state has visited Singapore. The President said that this is a source of pride in the relationship between the two countries, especially as the two countries look towards the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership.

The President affirmed that the visit was very successful, with many major agreements and contracts signed.

Acknowledging the practical opinions and recommendations of overseas Vietnamese, the President requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy to listen to and promote the implementation of the recommendations.

President speaks at overseas Vietnamese meeting.

Speaking about the visit, the President said that the two sides issued a full press statement, mentioning many issues, including more attention and creating conditions for the Vietnamese community in Singapore.

"The Vietnamese people are an indispensable part, and Singaporean leaders also appreciate it, they are very proud. There are many Vietnamese people living here, students studying and researching. That is also a joy and pride for us," the President affirmed.

Singapore is close to Vietnam and has many cultural similarities, so our people are luckier than other overseas Vietnamese in faraway places.

However, according to the President, Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society with high integration, so this is both an opportunity and a challenge for overseas Vietnamese.

Singapore is also a highly competitive place, requiring each person to constantly learn and improve. "If we do not improve ourselves, we will fall behind and not be able to participate in social activities. That challenge is huge, so we cannot just sit and wait for it to be ready... especially for the young generation," the President advised.

The President also emphasized: "No matter where, no matter how competitive a society is, it must live according to the constitution and laws of the host country, respecting cultural diversity and differences... We must harmonize and integrate positively, not dissolve. No matter where we are, we must not forget our roots. Integrating but not dissolving is a big problem in the context of a market economy."

The President, his wife and representatives of Vietnamese students studying in Singapore.

According to the President, it is necessary to maintain and popularize the language and writing, and preserve culture in the community and the third and fourth generations of Vietnamese people.

Regarding the issue of "what to do so that Vietnam can progress faster in the development process", the President highly appreciated the opinions of overseas Vietnamese and hoped that they would continue to contribute.

The President expressed his joy that many overseas Vietnamese have the spirit of wanting to contribute to building the country with the aspiration that by 2045 Vietnam will be a developed, high-income country.