Gary Thanh Nguyễn, head of the Entrepreneurs and Patriotic Vietnamese Club in the Washington Metropolitan Area. — VNA/VNS Photo Đoàn Hùng

WASHINGTON — Gary Thanh Nguyễn, head of the Entrepreneurs and Patriotic Vietnamese Club in the Washington Metropolitan Area, has expressed optimism ahead of State President Lương Cường’s upcoming official visit to the US.

According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release, President Cường and his spouse, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, will attend the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly’s 80th session, combined with bilateral activities in the US from Sunday to next Wednesday.

The visit offers an opportunity not only to affirm Việt Nam’s increasingly prominent position on the international stage but also to strengthen pride and bonds between the overseas Vietnamese community in the US and their homeland.

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency’s reporter in Washington, Nguyễn said the direct attendance and speech by President Cường before the United Nations General Assembly clearly affirms Việt Nam’s growing stature internationally.

He added that it also demonstrates Việt Nam’s proactive and responsible spirit in global affairs and its contributions to the international community.

According to Nguyễn, the State President’s bilateral activities in the US carry significant meaning amid the rapidly developing relations between the two countries. The trip will provide an opportunity to consolidate political trust, expand substantive cooperation and lay the foundation for new advances across multiple fields in the near future.

Nguyễn hopes the trip will strongly promote economic, trade, investment and science-technology cooperation between Việt Nam and the US.

He added that these are key sectors that can help Việt Nam make breakthroughs in its new development phase.

Additionally, he hopes that educational and training cooperation, healthcare, renewable energy and climate change will receive more attention, as these fields are directly related to the lives of people both now and in the future.

“I believe that with the consensus and determination from both Việt Nam and the US, the trip will produce practical results, bringing mutual benefits to both our peoples,” Nguyễn said.

He added that the Vietnamese community of over 2.5 million people in the US has always held a deep and strong attachment to the homeland.

He hopes the President’s official trip will open up more mechanisms and favourable policies to enable overseas Vietnamese to closely connect with their homeland, especially in investment, business, cultural exchange and education activities.

“We also hope the Government will continue to listen to the sentiments and aspirations of overseas Vietnamese, and additionally implement policies to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese people in the US,” he said.

“With such genuine care and support, the overseas Vietnamese community will be an important soft power in promoting Việt Nam’s image internationally and reinforcing the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Việt Nam and the US."

Nguyễn added that these are things the overseas community greatly looks forward to in Cường’s current trip.

In particular, he expressed his joy over the National Assembly’s passing of the law amending and supplementing certain articles of the Vietnamese Nationality Law, viewing it as “a new chapter” that allows overseas Vietnamese to acquire Vietnamese nationality, invest and live in the homeland with the status of “Vietnamese investors”.

“This is something I feel very happy about and want to share with all people in the country, that we overseas Vietnamese have long awaited these changes and also want to thank the Government of Việt Nam for having a broader perspective and a more open heart towards their faraway children, enabling them to have Vietnamese nationality,” said Nguyễn.

As one of the overseas Vietnamese in the US honoured to attend the 80th National Day celebration in Hà Nội, Nguyễn said his deepest impression was the solemn and sacred atmosphere at Ba Đình Square the place where millions of Vietnamese hearts united in the pride of the nation on this glorious day for the country.

“We clearly feel the power of unity, the resilient will and the aspirations of the Vietnamese nation to rise up throughout the struggles as well as the process of national liberation and the current nation-building and development,” he said.

“This is not only an occasion to recall the heroic history that our ancestors forged during the fight for national liberation but also a reminder to today’s generation to always remember, appreciate, preserve and promote the achievements our forebears built, so that we can build and develop a strong and prosperous Việt Nam.” — VNS