According to Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc, the Vietnamese community in the US has actively participated in COVID-19 prevention and control efforts in the homeland. They have primarily done this by providing medical supplies, contributing and raising funds for the Vietnamese COVID-19 vaccine fund, along with calling on the US Government and organisations to donate COVID-19 vaccines to the nation.
Despite facing up to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, various Vietnamese representative agencies in the US have considered citizen protection as the top priority, he said.
The Vietnamese Party and State therefore greatly appreciate contributions made by overseas Vietnamese amid difficulties caused by the pandemic, whilst they consider the Vietnamese community abroad to be an indispensable part of the nation. Indeed, they are an important resource for the cause of national construction, development, and defence.
With a total of 5.3 million people living and working across 130 countries and territories globally, the Vietnamese community abroad have had an increasingly important status and have made numerous significant contributions to the home country’s development in various fields, he emphasised.
President Phuc noted that during his current visit, many projects worth dozens of billions of USD have been signed between both Vietnamese and US firms. This serves to show that the US continues to be among the country’s leading partners, with the nation hoping to further boost bilateral co-operative ties and take them to new heights.
He went on to note that the Vietnamese State and Government consider the health of citizens to be a top priority and are working hard to push back against the pandemic. He thereby expressed hope that the Vietnamese community abroad will continue to assist their compatriots at home in terms of overcoming the pandemic
He also stated his desire to see each Vietnamese national abroad act as an envoy of peace, strengthening the solidarity with their host countries, and helping maintain traditional culture among young Vietnamese people abroad.
The State leader added hope that more overseas young Vietnamese people will contribute to the construction of the homeland through their knowledge and enthusiasm.
He expressed his confidence that the Vietnamese community in the US will help foster mutual ties, affirming that the Vietnamese State will create optimal conditions for them to settle down and integrate well into the host societies. This is in addition to maintaining and developing the Vietnamese language and cultural identity, whilst also looking to the homeland.
As part of the occasion, President Phuc witnessed the handing over of 1,000 ventilators donated by David Duong, a Vietnamese-American businessman, in order to aid the country’s COVID-19 fight.
