A young Vietnamese expatriate talks with representatives of HCM City at the meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — HCM City hopes Vietnamese people overseas will invest more money, build more companies, and develop more projects in Việt Nam and the city.

HCM City Vice Chairman Võ Văn Hoan made the remark at the meeting "Homeland Spring" with Vietnamese expatriates on Friday.

In his speech, Hoan expressed his gratitude to overseas Vietnamese people who had played a significant role in the city's growth. Some had invested and set up major businesses in the city, others enriched the city's fiscal revenue with their remittances.

He also said the city is working to move away from traditional labour-intensive industries and embrace greener technology-geared industries. The city will create a favourable environment for expatriates to make their contribution to the city's development.

Phan Bích Thiện, a Vietnamese woman living in Hungary, said many Vietnamese people abroad are specialists and experts who desire to use their expertise to help HCM City develop.

One plan that Vietnamese expatriates in Hungary are eager to play a part in is transforming HCM City into an international financial hub.

She also said Việt Nam had made a name in the world for its economic growth. However, economic aspects alone are not enough. The country must do more to promote its culture as well.

The best approach in cultural promotion, she believes, is to set a few goals and accomplish them first, rather than pursuing multiple goals simultaneously.

"I suggest celebrating a National Unity Day abroad, as the event will be a good opportunity for Vietnamese expatriates to come together and strengthen their ties," said Hoan.

Peter Hồng, Chairman of the Business Association of Overseas Vietnamese, expressed his joy to witness the development of the country and the city. He said Vietnamese people overseas always desire to contribute to the city's growth.

He hopes that HCM City will take measures to make it happen. For instance, the city could issue bonds to raise funds from Vietnamese expatriates to initiate large projects.

Preserving Vietnamese language and culture among the Vietnamese community abroad is another subject many Vietnamese expatriates brought up at the meeting.

Although they called for more programmes in cultural and language preservation, they also underlined the role of family in passing Vietnamese culture and language to the next generation.

"My mom teaches me Vietnamese through songs and books. I wish everyone a Happy New Year," said Việt Hà, a eight-year-old in Australia. — VNS