According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' online portal, Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW states that, after more than 20 years of implementing Politburo Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW of March 26, 2004, overseas Vietnamese affairs have undergone fundamental and comprehensive improvements. These efforts have helped raise awareness and ensure unified action from the central to local levels, both within Vietnam and abroad.

General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse meet with the Vietnamese community in Thailand in May 2026. (Photo: VNA)

The overseas Vietnamese community has now grown to more than 6.5 million people living in over 130 countries and territories, with increasingly stable livelihoods and continued development.

The proportion of experts, intellectuals, scientists, entrepreneurs, and highly skilled workers has steadily increased, while the community has become younger overall. Some overseas Vietnamese now hold important positions within the political systems of their host countries.

The vast majority of overseas Vietnamese have integrated well into their host societies while actively preserving Vietnam's cultural traditions and national identity. They continue to maintain strong ties with their homeland, making significant contributions to strengthening cooperation and friendship between Vietnam and other countries, and actively participating in the cause of national construction, development, and safeguarding.

However, a small number of overseas Vietnamese still harbor prejudices or hold views and engage in actions that are inconsistent with the national interests of Vietnam. Some have even sought to undermine friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and their host countries, causing divisions within overseas Vietnamese communities. In addition, the legal status and living conditions of Vietnamese communities in certain countries remain difficult. The mobilization of community resources for national development has yet to match their full potential, while inter-agency coordination mechanisms remain inconsistent in some areas and at certain times.

To further reform and improve the effectiveness of overseas Vietnamese affairs, strengthen the great national unity bloc, enhance international cooperation, and create new momentum for the country's rapid and sustainable development in the new era, the Politburo reaffirmed that overseas Vietnamese are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese national community. They constitute one of the country's important strategic resources, contributing to national strength, serving as a bridge between Vietnam and the world, and directly accompanying and participating in the cause of national construction, development, and safeguarding.

Overseas Vietnamese affairs play an important role in implementing the Party's foreign policy. The Party and the State bear responsibility for caring for and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Vietnamese, while coordinating efforts to ensure their security and safety.

The Politburo further stressed that, in the new stage of development, overseas Vietnamese affairs should move beyond mobilization, outreach, and support toward a higher level of partnership, institutional development, and effective mobilization of overseas Vietnamese resources, enabling them to participate more deeply in Vietnam's integration, nation-building, and development.

Overseas Vietnamese are a special component of the great national unity bloc, regardless of ethnicity, religion, background, or social status. Shared values, including national identity, patriotism, national pride, aspirations for development, and a common determination to build a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy Vietnam, should serve as the foundation for unity.

The Politburo also affirmed that the Party and the State value all constructive opinions and are willing to listen to diverse viewpoints, including differing perspectives, provided they do not harm the national interests of Vietnam. It underscored the importance of promoting national reconciliation, overcoming prejudice, setting aside the past, and looking toward the future.

Overseas Vietnamese affairs are the shared responsibility of the entire political system and Vietnamese people both at home and abroad. This work should be carried out on a regular, continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, focused, and flexible basis, drawing on the respective strengths of ministries, sectors, agencies, and localities, while remaining consistent with the laws, customs, and practices of both Vietnam and host countries.

The Politburo has set the objective of building overseas Vietnamese communities with secure legal status, deep integration, and stable development. It also aims to preserve and promote the traditions of solidarity, Vietnamese cultural identity, humanitarian values, history, and the Vietnamese language among younger generations and future generations of overseas Vietnamese. At the same time, overseas Vietnamese are expected to further their role as “cultural ambassadors” promoting Vietnam, its people, and its heritage, while enhancing their standing, responsibility, and reputation in host countries, thereby contributing to strengthening the great national unity bloc and enhancing Vietnam's soft power and national prestige.

The Resolution also aims to inspire a stronger sense of patriotism, dedication, and national pride among overseas Vietnamese, while enhancing their role as a bridge of friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the rest of the world. It seeks to further harness overseas Vietnamese as an important resource across socio-economic development, culture, healthcare, education, science, technology, and innovation, thereby helping to connect and amplify the nation's values and strengths in synergy with the opportunities of the times.

The Politburo also calls for the development of comprehensive and breakthrough mechanisms and policies to create an open and enabling environment for connecting with, attracting, and effectively leveraging the resources and intellectual capital of overseas Vietnamese. It emphasizes strengthening ties within the overseas Vietnamese community through a sustainable global network linking experts, intellectuals, scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, and younger generations of Vietnamese around the world, enabling them to make meaningful contributions to the cause of national construction, development, and safeguarding.

The Politburo has instructed authorities at all levels, sectors, officials, and Party members to focus on effectively implementing seven key groups of tasks: Continuing to renew thinking, raise awareness, and strengthen the Party's leadership over overseas Vietnamese affairs; further improving mechanisms and policies while creating favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to enhance their standing and reputation, maximize their potential and strengths, and actively contribute to their homeland; building a united, thriving overseas Vietnamese community that remains closely connected to Vietnam; effectively mobilizing the resources of overseas Vietnamese to support the country's rapid and sustainable development and national defense; promoting the role of overseas Vietnamese in preserving the Vietnamese language and national cultural identity while strengthening their ties with the homeland; enhancing the role of overseas Vietnamese as key actors in communications and public information efforts; streamlining organizational structures and strengthening coordination mechanisms and resources for overseas Vietnamese affairs.

Regarding implementation, the Politburo directed provincial and municipal Party Committees, Party Committees under the Central Committee, Party agencies, and the Party's public service units at the central level to lead and oversee the dissemination and implementation of the Resolution in accordance with their assigned functions and responsibilities, while regularly monitoring, inspecting, and supervising its implementation.

This Resolution replaces Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW of March 26, 2004, as well as other directives issued by the Politburo and the Secretariat concerning overseas Vietnamese affairs.

Building Bridges Connecting Overseas Vietnamese with the Homeland As Vietnam enters a new era of national development, the important contributions of overseas Vietnamese, those living far from home but always turning towards their homeland and roots, cannot be overlooked.

Overseas Vietnamese Support Disadvantaged People in the Czech Republic On the morning of July 31, at Giac Dao Pagoda in Cheb, the Czech Republic, the Association of Vietnamese People - Asia Dragon trade center - Cheb City and surrounding areas, in coordination with the Buddhist Association of Giac Dao Pagoda, organized the handover of the first batch of relief supplies under a charitable program supporting disadvantaged people in the Karlovy Vary Region.