The year 2025 is identified as a pivotal milestone, marking the conclusion of the 2021–2025 period while opening preparations for the 14th National Party Congress. In this context, the Overseas Vietnamese (OV) community has been assigned a new role as a strategic partner accompanying the country's development goals toward 2045.
Amid global uncertainties, nearly 6.5 million Vietnamese living in over 130 countries and territories continue to look to their homeland as a spiritual anchor. Accordingly, policies toward OVs have shifted from support to partnership, strengthening national unity and promoting Vietnam's image based on trust, culture, and shared aspirations for development.
In 2025, OVs have clearly demonstrated their role as “cultural ambassadors" through numerous international events, helping promote Vietnamese cuisine, arts, and identity, and gradually shaping a “Global Vietnam Space." At the same time, efforts to preserve the Vietnamese language have been intensified through book collections, language classes, and community activities, fostering intergenerational connections among overseas Vietnamese.
Domestic engagement has also expanded, with dozens of major events attracting thousands of OVs. Notably, for the first time, the OV community had its own parade contingent at major national celebrations, affirming its growing presence in the country's socio-political life.
Importantly, OV resources are increasingly contributing in practical ways to national development: remittances exceeded USD 16 billion; hundreds of investment projects have been implemented; and global Vietnamese intellectual networks are actively engaged in science, technology, and innovation initiatives.
Entering the 2026–2030 period, policies toward OVs are set to be elevated in alignment with pillars of rapid and sustainable development. Five key shifts are emphasized: from connection to co-creation of development; from mobilization to institutionalizing resources; from preservation to global promotion of Vietnamese values; from an OV community to a global Vietnamese community; and stronger alignment with the 2045 development vision.
With this orientation, the OV community is not only an inseparable part of the nation but is increasingly becoming a strategic resource, contributing significantly to building a prosperous and developed Vietnam in the new era.
In Dong Nai province, the Union of Friendship Organizations has implemented a cooperation program with the Ho Chi Minh City Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs. The two sides jointly issued Program No. 06 to enhance people-to-people diplomacy toward OVs in both Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai.
Overseas Vietnamese participating in the “Friendship Spring 2021" Festival in Dong Nai, offered incense at the Tran Bien Temple of Literature.
After two years of implementation, the program has yielded positive results. Since 2021, three OV gatherings have been held in Dong Nai, attracting nearly 500 participants, including entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and investors. These events also featured around 30 booths showcasing local specialties and OCOP products, contributing to local promotion and trade facilitation.
Through these connections, the Dong Nai Young Entrepreneurs Association and the Vietnam International Entrepreneurs Networking Club have signed cooperation agreements, expanding investment opportunities and market linkages between local businesses and overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs.
At the review conference for the 2021–2023 period, both sides assessed achievements, proposed new initiatives, and agreed to renew their cooperation program for the next phase, aiming to strengthen ties and further leverage OV resources for the province's socio-economic development.