Attracting overseas Vietnamese resources to develop the country

Nghe An Newspaper respectfully introduces the full text of the speech of General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong at the "Homeland Spring 2019" Program.

General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong attends the program "Homeland Spring 2019." (Photo: VNA)

Dear uncles, brothers, sisters, and children,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today, in the atmosphere of the whole country eagerly preparing to welcome Tet and Spring, we are happy to gather here, in the thousand-year-old capital of Hanoi - the beloved heart of the whole country, to attend the Homeland Spring Program, bid farewell to the year of Mau Tuat 2018 and welcome the year of Ky Hoi 2019. In this joyful moment, I would like to warmly welcome the delegates, distinguished guests and representatives of overseas Vietnamese from all over the world to return to our Fatherland to celebrate Tet and welcome Spring.

In particular, I would like to send my warmest feelings, sincere greetings and best wishes for the New Year to the children of our beloved Vietnam who are living, working and studying abroad and have not had the opportunity to return home to celebrate Tet this year. For the country and people of Vietnam, overseas Vietnamese, wherever they are, are always an inseparable part of the Fatherland. As President Ho Chi Minh once said: "The Fatherland and the Government always miss our compatriots, just as parents miss their children who are away. That is the human heart and the natural order, that is the love of a family"!

General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong speaks. Photo: Lam Khanh – VNA

Dear overseas compatriots and delegates,

Looking back at the year of Mau Tuat 2018, although the world and domestic situation has many difficulties and challenges, under the correct leadership of the Party and State, our country Vietnam has continued to develop, overcome all difficulties and achieved many comprehensive and commendable results in most fields, leaving good impressions, creating new momentum and motivation, new spirit for the completion of all goals and tasks in 2019 and the whole 5 years of 2016 - 2020. It is no coincidence that an atmosphere of excitement and trust in the leadership of the Party and State, in the victory of the cause of innovation, construction and protection of the Fatherland is continuing to spread widely throughout the country and is recognized by international friends.

Macroeconomic stability continues to be maintained, creating an important foundation for implementing growth model innovation associated with economic restructuring, promoting the development of industries and sectors. The scale of the economy has been expanded, quality has been improved. Economic growth in 2018 reached 7.08%, the highest growth rate since 2008. People's lives continue to improve; politics and society are stable; national defense and security are strengthened; independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country are maintained.

Achievements in foreign affairs have significantly contributed to enhancing Vietnam's position in the international arena, in which relations with neighboring countries and major partners continue to be consolidated. Following the success of APEC Year 2017, last year, the Vietnamese National Assembly with 100% of the votes unanimously passed a Resolution ratifying the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), contributing to deepening the international integration process, serving the development interests of the country.

Regarding multilateral diplomacy, we have successfully organized many important international conferences, such as the 26th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum, the 6th Greater Mekong Subregion Summit... In particular, the World Economic Forum on ASEAN is considered the most successful regional conference in the 27 years the World Economic Forum (WEF) has been held in the region.

The fields of science - technology, culture, education and sports also recorded important marks, contributing to creating clear changes in scientific and technological innovation and enriching and improving the cultural and spiritual life of the people.

In particular, with the great determination of the Party, the State and the people, last year, the fight against corruption, bureaucracy, waste and negativity was strongly promoted. Many large and complicated corruption and economic cases were discovered, investigated and strictly handled. Many officials, including high-ranking officials, incumbent or retired officials who committed violations were resolutely and legally handled, which was highly welcomed, agreed and supported by officials, party members and many people at home and abroad.

Achieving the above results is first of all due to the Party's will matching the people's will, the strength of solidarity and high unity, the efforts, joint efforts and consensus of the entire political system and the entire society, including the valuable and very important contributions of the Vietnamese community living, working and studying abroad.

The Party and State's active and comprehensive advocacy and support solutions have attracted significant resources and intellectual capital from more than 4.5 million Vietnamese people living, studying and working in more than 110 countries and territories to serve the country's development. In recent years, an average of 300 - 500 overseas intellectuals have returned to the country each year, participating in scientific and technological activities, education and training, contributing many profound and practical opinions on the country's development issues, building a startup ecosystem, improving the quality of human resources and developing domestic technology.

I was very moved to know that many intellectuals and scientists around the world, despite their old age, are still tirelessly contributing to the development and international cooperation in science of the country, training many scientific cadres for the homeland. Besides individual activities, many organized activities of Vietnamese intellectuals abroad in many different economic sectors and fields have also made practical contributions to the economic development of the country. Many experts and intellectuals have directly returned to work upon invitation or have specific cooperation programs with universities, research institutes, high-tech zones, economic establishments, etc.

The Party and State of Vietnam highly appreciate the advice and consultation of overseas Vietnamese scientists to help the country quickly approach the world's advanced level of science and technology, especially in the context of the current Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Regarding trade and investment, many overseas Vietnamese businessmen, associations and networks have been actively bringing Vietnamese goods to the world market, while bringing foreign enterprises and multinational companies to invest, produce and do business in Vietnam. In 2018, the amount of remittances sent home reached nearly 16 billion USD, an increase of more than 100 times compared to 1993. Notably, investment from remittances in recent years with about 3,000 projects focusing on production and business activities, contributing to promoting economic development, improving the living standards of the people, first of all the families receiving the money.

The overseas Vietnamese community is also an important "catalyst" for the success of our country's people's diplomacy in the renovation process. Through cultural and religious exchange activities, our overseas Vietnamese have been contributing to preserving national identity and promoting national cultural values, building the image of Vietnam abroad, promoting, spreading and winning the love of friends from other countries, contributing to enhancing the position and prestige of Vietnam in the international arena.

The valuable and proud contributions of our overseas compatriots to our homeland and country come from the ardent patriotism of each Vietnamese person, which is a precious tradition of the Vietnamese people. The Party, the State and the people always sympathize with our overseas compatriots, share the difficulties and hardships of living in foreign lands, and at the same time believe that, no matter where we go, where we are, what we do, we always preserve and pass on to our younger generations the awareness: "Water has its source, trees have their roots, no matter how far we go, the origin of the Dragon and Fairy will not fade", or "Many red silk covers the mirror. The descendants of Hong and Lac must love each other". That is the ideology of "Unity, unity, great unity. Success, success, great success" of the beloved President Ho Chi Minh.

Dear overseas compatriots, ladies and gentlemen,

The great achievements of the country in 2018 once again affirmed the great strength of the spirit of great national unity. I firmly believe that these results have been and are creating a solid foundation, contributing to strengthening confidence, arousing patriotism, national pride and creating favorable conditions for the children of Vietnam to continue to join hands firmly on the path of innovation, overcoming all difficulties and challenges, taking advantage of opportunities and advantages, together building a bright future, a Vietnam of "rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization".

On the occasion of the traditional Lunar New Year 2019, in the joyful and exciting atmosphere today, I would like to wish all our compatriots, distinguished guests and all our compatriots at home and abroad a new year filled with good health, happiness and great victory!

Wishing the program "Spring Homeland 2019" a great success!"/.