Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, April 3 (VNA)- The Government of Viet Nam has always considered Vietnamese Overseas (Viet Kieu) as an integral part of the nation. In the recent past, the Vietnamese intellectual community overseas has made considerable contributions to national development in many fields.

Vietnamese intellectuals abroad have assisted with teaching, scientific research, providing consultations for foreign experts who wish to work in Viet Nam, raising scholarships for young talents and applying advanced technology in production. The country welcomes around 200 Vietnamese intellectuals from the United States, France, Japan and Thailand every year who come back to work as university lecturers, consultants and scientific researchers.

Viet Nam has been working with the United Nations Development Programme to implement the TOKTEN project, which encourages Vietnamese intellectuals overseas to work for fixed terms in their native land. The programme was launched in 1989 and has received a positive response.
So far, Vietnamese living overseas have invested in 610 projects worth an estimated 500 million USD and 850 billion VND.

Around 300,000 Vietnamese intellectuals living overseas making up more than 20 percent of the Vietnamese community abroad. Many of them work in such areas as space research, nuclear energy and naval studies which Viet Nam is still weak. Many hold key positions in areas in giant multi-national companies, Governmental agencies or international organisations. Most have been ever-ready to contribute to the development of Viet Nam and many have returned home to work at the request of the Vietnamese Government.

Information technology (IT) is an area in which overseas Vietnamese intellectuals excel. This can be seen in these intellectuals' creativity, in particular, in software technology and automated system management. In the world's largest international information network, Global Internet Working, there is a programme called Vietnamese Social Culture, in which around 40,000 overseas Vietnamese intellectuals participate. Of them, 65 percent have computer skills, 15 percent are engineers and the remaining 20 percent operate in the areas of social sciences and humanities.

According to the "information technology in Viet Nam, 2002" reports recently released by the Research Viet Nam Company and Andersen, an international business consulting corporation, of the 50 companies holding stakes in Viet Nam's IT industry, half are foreign-invested or have entered joint ventures with foreign partners. Many Vietnamese overseas hold key posts in these companies and act as a cultural and language bridge between customers and their companies in Viet Nam.