Vietnamese Abroad Urge Reforms in Private Sector, Education, and People-to-People Diplomacy

	Consultative Conference with Former Party and State Leaders on Draft Documents for the 14th Party Congress
	The Vietnam Peace and Development Council Contributes to the Draft Documents for the 14th National Party Congress

Developing the private sector in connection with innovation and research & development

According to information from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, Tran Hai Linh, member of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and President of the Viet Nam-RoK Businessmen and Investment Association (VKBIA), stated that the community of more than 6 million Vietnamese overseas - including businesspeople, experts, and intellectuals with extensive international experience - is a strategic resource for promoting private-sector development, an important driving force identified in the Draft Documents.

Dr. Tran Hai Linh (Photo: VKBIA)

He recommended several key areas where the overseas Vietnamese business community can play a significant role, including:

Enhancing competitiveness: Supporting market connections, standardizing corporate governance according to global norms, and leveraging knowledge of Viet Nam’s strengths and international trends.

Promoting technology transfer, digital transformation, and green development: Overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs are active in core technology fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, automation, and new energy. With appropriate mechanisms to attract them, Viet Nam can narrow the technological gap and participate more deeply in global supply chains.

Supporting innovative startups: Bringing capital, management expertise, new growth models, and international networks to help Vietnamese startups expand globally and form globally competitive “Make in Vietnam” enterprises.

Participating in domestic value chains: Strengthening regional and sectoral linkages, particularly in areas where Viet Nam has advantages such as processing and manufacturing industries, logistics, e-commerce, high-tech agriculture, and high-quality tourism and services.

He emphasized that with a favorable environment and stable investor-protection mechanisms, overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs can become strategic bridges to help Viet Nam realize its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2045, with many globally competitive private enterprises and a private sector serving as a principal driver of the new growth model.

Associate Professor, Doctor Tran Le Hung (overseas Vietnamese in France, lecturer at the Paris School of Engineering - Gustave Eiffel University) proposed establishing and operating research and development (R&D) centers in public-service units, state-owned corporations, and private enterprises, especially in strategic industries and high-tech sectors. This model aims to directly address practical challenges faced by enterprises, modernize production processes, leverage the intellectual capacity of Vietnamese worldwide, and create an environment where domestic experts can access international scientific standards and gradually achieve technological self-reliance.

Developing high-quality human resources and attracting global Vietnamese intellectuals

Regarding Politburo Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2025 on breakthrough development in education and training, Tran Hai Linh proposed strengthening connections between universities, research institutes, and domestic enterprises with networks of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals; expanding the global Vietnamese talent networks; implementing student and international internship exchange programs; promoting university–institute–enterprise cooperation models; and developing internationally standardized innovation centers in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang. He suggested establishing an open and transparent academic environment that encourages creative freedom and university autonomy. By effectively leveraging global Vietnamese intellectual capital, Viet Nam can shift from “latecomer learning quickly” to “creating new knowledge and technology.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Le Hung takes a commemorative photo with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang. (Photo: scov.gov.vn)

Tran Le Hung praised the talent-attraction policy under Decree 179/2024/ND-CP and the initiative to invite at least 100 leading experts back to Viet Nam. He emphasized that beyond financial incentives, it is crucial to create an appealing working environment, opportunities for career advancement, and conditions for integration to ensure long-term commitment. He also highlighted the importance of identifying and nurturing the younger generations of overseas Vietnamese (F1, F2), considering them as a key resource capable of connecting Viet Nam with the global community. Competitions and awards related to science, technology, and culture could serve as important channels to identify young talent.

Huynh Tan Dat, President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Australia (SVAU), suggested that the Documents include specific mechanisms for mobilizing overseas Vietnamese youth and students. He recommended promoting short-term exchange programs, recognizing academic and international experience, and encouraging practical contributions to domestic innovation programs. Mobilization efforts should include performance-measurement mechanisms to ensure real effectiveness. He also proposed recognizing the study, research, and internship experience of overseas Vietnamese students when awarding scholarships or recruiting young scientific personnel; developing mechanisms for international credit transfer and micro-internships (4-12 weeks) between domestic and foreign educational institutions to facilitate skills and knowledge transfer. Furthermore, he suggested encouraging research-oriented universities to expand international cooperation programs with networks of overseas Vietnamese scholars and students; enabling overseas Vietnamese lecturers to teach, supervise research, and provide scientific consultancy to enhance research capacity, commercialize research outcomes, and expand the global presence of Vietnamese knowledge.

Promoting the strength of people-to-people diplomacy and global Vietnamese cultural identity

According to Tran Hai Linh, with a community of more than 6 million Vietnamese in 130 countries, overseas Vietnamese are a strategic resource for people-to-people diplomacy. He stated that people-to-people diplomacy can contribute in three key ways:

Promoting national image: Every Vietnamese person abroad serves as a cultural ambassador, spreading Viet Nam’s identity and compelling development story to international audiences.

Building Viet Nam’s soft power: Connecting experts, intellectuals, businesses, and international institutions to enhance national standing and participate more deeply in global rule-shaping processes.

Supporting and protecting national interests: Overseas Vietnamese act as trusted bridges helping Viet Nam expand markets, promote investment cooperation, trade, and technology transfer, and directly contribute to economic growth.

Tran Le Hung noted that intellectuals and young talents are not only ambassadors of Viet Nam but also frontline contributors on the ideological front - helping promote the country’s image, counter false narratives, and advance people-to-people diplomacy, scientific diplomacy, and cultural diplomacy in the digital age.

Huynh Tan Dat proposed strengthening support for Vietnamese student associations and clubs overseas in their efforts to preserve language, culture, and traditions, and encouraged cooperation between these organizations and domestic educational institutions through cultural and language exchange programs (Vietnamese language) to connect younger generations with their homeland.

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