On the occasion of attending the 19th Francophone Summit and making an official visit to the French Republic, on the evening of October 5 local time, General Secretary and President To Lam and the Vietnamese High-Level Delegation met with the Vietnamese community in France at the Vietnam Cultural Center in Paris.
Attending the meeting were more than 100 representatives of overseas Vietnamese living, working and studying in France, representatives of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe, along with officials and staff of the Embassy and representative agencies in France.
Opening the meeting, in a culturally rich space, the Homeland Choir - a choir founded by overseas Vietnamese in France - performed songs praising the Fatherland and President Ho Chi Minh , demonstrating the tradition of a community built by Uncle Ho himself more than a century ago.
Reporting to the General Secretary, President and the Delegation, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang said that the Vietnamese community in France currently has more than 300,000 people; there are about more than 200 associations; a large intellectual community of about 50,000 people and thousands of businessmen. This is a well-integrated community, always focusing on preserving cultural identity and national traditions as well as always striving to build and develop a strong community movement, promoting the spirit of turning towards the homeland and country.
In response to the appeal of the General Secretary, President and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, associations, business community, overseas Vietnamese and French friends, and officials and employees of Vietnamese representative agencies in France have raised nearly 2 billion VND to support compatriots in the country.
In the intimate atmosphere of the meeting, Mr. Vuong Huu Nhan, President of the Vietnamese Association in France, expressed his pride in being a member of the Vietnamese Association in France, the predecessor of the “Group of Patriotic Annamese” founded by President Ho Chi Minh. Over time, generations of leaders of the Association have always adhered to the common spirit in all activities: “Sticking to the Fatherland,” “The Fatherland above all, people above all,” “Strong solidarity, mutual respect.”
The Vietnamese community in France, whether born in Vietnam or in France, is always attached to and oriented towards the homeland, cares about compatriots at home and always supports an independent and sovereign Vietnam.
Mr. Nguyen Hai Nam, Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs in France (ABVietFrance), said that recently, ABVietFrance has organized many diverse activities to promote investment and trade between France, European countries and Vietnam.
In addition, as Vice President of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe, Mr. Nguyen Hai Nam said that the Union was established in 2016. Up to now, through two Congresses, the Union has become the largest organization gathering the Vietnamese community in Europe, with many activities towards the homeland, as well as contributing to promoting Vietnam's relations with European countries.
On this occasion, Mr. Nguyen Hai Nam proposed a number of recommendations related to facilitating the return to Vietnamese nationality and applying for Vietnamese nationality, removing difficulties in granting identity cards to Vietnamese people residing abroad, and allowing Vietnamese people residing abroad to vote and run for National Assembly deputies.
Representing the Association of Vietnamese Youth and Students in France, Nguyen Thu Van affirmed that with the spirit of "wherever there is a need, there is youth, wherever there is difficulty, there is youth", Vietnamese youth and students in France are always the pioneering force in movements aimed at the Vietnamese community in general and the youth and student community in particular.
The Association wishes to have financial support for the community movement from the budget or from domestic enterprises; propose the idea of organizing a Forum exclusively for Vietnamese youth abroad; wish relevant ministries and branches in the country to support the Association in organizing a Science and Technology Forum for the community of young intellectuals in the field of science and young businesses in France.
Warmly greeting the people, General Secretary and President To Lam expressed his joy and emotion at meeting representatives of associations, overseas Vietnamese in France and representatives of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe.
The General Secretary and President said that his visit to attend the 19th Francophone Summit aims to continue affirming Vietnam's role as a key member of the Francophone community in the Asia-Pacific region as well as Vietnam's active and responsible participation in the activities of the Francophone community in particular and the international community in general.
Regarding the visit to France, the General Secretary and President said this was his first visit to France as General Secretary and President, aiming to deepen the Vietnam-France strategic partnership, towards upgrading the relationship between the two countries in the coming time.
During the talks with high-ranking French leaders, the General Secretary and President asked France to continue to pay attention and create favorable conditions for our community in France to live, study and work stably, continue to integrate actively, and contribute to the development of the locality and the relationship between the two countries.
Informing about the situation of the country, the General Secretary and President said that although the regional and world situation is still unstable, under the leadership of the Party, the efforts of the entire political system and all classes of people, the joint efforts and consensus of our compatriots abroad, and the support of international friends, the country has achieved important achievements in all fields; emphasizing that in the coming time, Vietnam will focus all resources, accelerate, and strive to successfully complete the goals set by the 13th Party Congress to create a new era - the era of the Vietnamese nation's rise. In that process, it is very necessary to have the cooperation, contribution, joint efforts and consensus of the community of 6 million compatriots abroad.
The General Secretary and President emphasized that the Party and State always acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of generations of overseas Vietnamese in France and the Association of Vietnamese in France to the country in the struggle for national independence and in the cause of national development and defense.
The General Secretary and President welcomed the core and active role of Vietnamese associations in France and the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe in uniting, gathering, supporting the community, preserving the Vietnamese language and national cultural identity, always accompanying and promoting the spirit of "mutual love and support" with compatriots in the country whenever they encounter difficulties and hardships.
The General Secretary and President affirmed that the Party and State always pay attention to the overseas Vietnamese community in general and the Vietnamese community in France in particular; considering the community an inseparable part of the flesh and blood, an important resource of the nation.
The General Secretary and President hopes that the Vietnamese community in France in particular and the Vietnamese community in Europe in general, wherever they are, will always promote the spirit of solidarity, national pride, turn towards the homeland, contribute to the development of the country, promote the good values of the nation, and preserve the Vietnamese language for future generations.
The General Secretary and President discussed and answered the recommendations and proposals of the people, and at the same time requested relevant ministries, branches and agencies to focus on reviewing, researching, and soon having appropriate solutions in a timely and thorough spirit, and implementing more drastic measures to meet the legitimate aspirations of our compatriots in France in particular and the overseas Vietnamese community in general.
The General Secretary and President asked the Embassy to continue to do well in community work and citizen protection to help the community stabilize their lives, integrate well into the host society, preserve the Vietnamese language and national cultural identity, and act as a bridge to strengthen friendly relations between Vietnam and other countries, contributing to the country's development./.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/tong-bi-thu-chu-tich-nuoc-dap-ung-nguyen-vong-chinh-dang-cua-kieu-bao-231060.html
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