Welcoming overseas Vietnamese on Lunar New Year 2016

Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities and Vietnam Fatherland Front officials met overseas Vietnamese on the occasion of the Lunar New Year of the Horse on January 29.

The event was attended by 700 overseas Vietnamese from nations and territories across the world returning to the city for the Lunar New Year.

At the meeting, Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh city People’s Committee reviewed socio-economic achievements the city had gained over the past year and outlined the main development orientations in 2016.

The overseas Vietnamese have continuously been an integrated part of the nation, Phong reiterated, adding that the Government has issued numerous incentives for overseas Vietnamese to do business and live in their home country.

The remittances sent to the City have seen an annual average growth from 8-10 percent. The figure reached over 5.5 billion USD in 2015, up 10 percent from 2014.

The city leader expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese will continue serving as a bridge to connect Vietnam and other nations in the world, and will contribute to promoting the image of the city and the nation in international integration and development.

On this occasion, HCM City’s authorities presented certificates of merit to overseas Vietnamese individuals, organisations and businesses, who had contributed largely to the city’s growth in 2015.

At the event, participants also visited a photo exhibition featuring the city’s socio-economic development achievements.-VNA