Workshop held to promote overseas Vietnamese intellectuals' potential

Delegates at the workshop (Photo: VNA)

The event aimed to seek ways to promote the potential of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals for national construction and development, especially in science and technology capacity development, and building national innovation and start-up ecosystems and digital transformation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, VUSTA President Phan Xuan Dung said that Vietnamese intellectuals are an important workforce in the country’s industrialization and modernization, and international integration as well as building a knowledge-based economy.

He emphasized overseas Vietnamese intellectuals are an integral part of the nation who make important contributions to the national construction and defence.

Pham Viet Hung, head of the Department for Economic Relations, Science and Technology under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, said Overseas Vietnamese intellectuals have been participating directly and extensively in cooperation processes and accompanying the Government in realizing the goal of building a government that serves people and businesses, as well as meeting the country’s demand in innovative start-ups and issues relating to the fourth Industrial Revolution.

According to him, about 300 overseas experts and intellectuals join science and technology activities in Vietnam a year. Many overseas Vietnamese experts are collaborating or working as advisors to ministries, agencies and localities, he added.

Mr. Hung also stressed that these should be encouraged in the context that the private economy has become an important driving force of the national economy.

He said it is necessary for ministries, agencies and localities to study and develop a common mechanism for receiving and responding to suggestions from overseas Vietnamese experts and intellectuals.

In addition, participants at the workshop also discussed issues on mobilizing the participation of overseas Vietnamese intellectuals in the development of the country and solutions to encourage them to return home./.