In particular, the group of Vietnamese students and young intellectuals abroad – those studying and working in leading science, technology, and education centers – show that they not only closely follow the country's major development directions but also wish to contribute their expertise in a specific and targeted way.
From Germany: The contributions of overseas Vietnamese need to be accurately measured.
A group of 11 party members from the Berlin-Potsdam Student Branch sent back to Vietnam a comprehensive set of contributions to the Draft Document of the 14th Party Congress, covering many areas from economics , science and technology to institutions and social welfare.
Notably, Dr. Duong Trung Nghia, an expert from the German National Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (AI), raised an issue often mentioned at a general level in previous documents: the role of overseas Vietnamese in the innovation ecosystem and in the "brain drain" cycle. According to him, the assessment of the results of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Congress and 40 years of reform in the Draft Document still leans towards domestic indicators, lacking indicators reflecting the flow of knowledge, knowledge investment, and research cooperation from the Vietnamese expert community abroad. While financial remittances have been fairly well documented, "knowledge remittances"—that is, contributions through co-authored articles, scientific councils, joint research projects, or connections to technology supply chains—have yet to be quantified.
Dr. Duong Trung Nghia proposed that the document should include a separate set of indicators on "Overseas Vietnamese - Innovation," such as: the number of co-authored scientific works both domestically and internationally, the number of terms held by overseas Vietnamese experts at domestic universities/institutes, and the value of remittances transferred to knowledge investment or technology transfer. Simultaneously, it should "map" the overseas Vietnamese workforce to identify where Vietnam has experts and in which fields. This approach aims not only to acknowledge their contributions but, more importantly, to create a basis for targeted policy planning to attract Vietnamese talent abroad, avoiding vague appeals.
Another detail noted by Dr. Duong Trung Nghia is that the document needs clearer international benchmarking when evaluating total factor productivity (TFP) or the marginal capital-output ratio (ICOR). Furthermore, regarding the perspective and goals for national development in the new period, it is necessary to clearly define the focus of artificial intelligence (AI) development, considering digital transformation as the main driving force, and moving towards the development of a Law on Digital Transformation.
Another opinion comes from Mr. Ha Son Hai, a member of the Berlin-Potsdam Party Branch, currently working at the financial auditing firm KPMG (Germany). Mr. Hai believes that the Draft Document places digital transformation, science and technology, and innovation in a high position, reflecting the Party's shifting leadership thinking towards using the digital economy as a driving force. However, according to him, the content regarding personal data security – a foundation for the sustainable development of the digital economy – remains vague.
Drawing on practical experience in Europe, Mr. Ha Son Hai suggested that Vietnam could refer to the European Union's (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of 2016 to build a compatible and sufficiently strong legal framework to protect citizens from the leakage and sale of personal data. However, he emphasized the need for selective domestication, not "copying verbatim," because Vietnam's economic context, digital infrastructure, and digital culture differ from those of the EU. The new legal framework needs to clearly define the obligations of technology companies operating in Vietnam and sanctions for illegal data trading – both protecting users and encouraging innovation.
From Australia: A desire to be mobilized as a strategic resource.
In Australia, where more than 30,000 Vietnamese youth, students, and young intellectuals live, the feedback sent back to Vietnam clearly reflects their desire to be considered a strategic national resource.
Huynh Tan Dat, a PhD student at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and President of the Vietnamese Student Association in Australia (SVAU), shared his belief that the documents of the 14th National Congress will continue to affirm and concretize the role of overseas Vietnamese youth, students, and intellectuals as a strategic resource, contributing to making Vietnam a developed, strong, and happy nation.
Contributing his opinion to the Draft Document of the 14th Party Congress, Mr. Huynh Tan Dat proposed that the document should outline clear guiding principles for mobilizing the intellectual resources of overseas Vietnamese youth: prioritizing the connection and mobilization of these resources, promoting short-term exchange programs, recognizing international academic experience, and encouraging the participation of Vietnamese students and intellectuals abroad in domestic innovation programs. This mobilization should be accompanied by a mechanism for measuring results to ensure practical effectiveness.
Mr. Huynh Tan Dat also emphasized the close connection between developing high-quality human resources, digital transformation, and data governance. He proposed that the Draft Document should study a pilot mechanism for cooperation between domestic businesses and overseas Vietnamese research groups or start-ups, linked to technology transfer and local human resource training. Furthermore, the development of digital education infrastructure should be implemented in parallel with data protection and privacy rights, enabling overseas Vietnamese to participate without fear of legal conflicts with their host countries.
In addition, other proposals such as "recognizing international learning and internship experience in recruitment," "transferring credits and micro-internships between domestic and foreign training institutions," or "inviting overseas Vietnamese lecturers to teach and guide research" were also mentioned by Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, showing that young Vietnamese people are suggesting feasible policies that are in line with international practices.
From the UK: Creating mechanisms to attract Vietnamese talent to return and contribute to their homeland.
In the United Kingdom, Nguyen Hoang Linh Phuong – a violinist studying at the Royal Academy of Music in Northern England and a member of the Vietnamese Student Association in the UK (SVUK) – shared her desire to contribute her voice to improve educational thinking and develop the cultural and artistic fields in Vietnam.
According to artist Nguyen Hoang Linh Phuong, while the Vietnamese education system has improved significantly, it has not invested adequately in fostering creativity and nurturing talent. She believes that while the cultural and artistic fields have received increasing attention from the Party, the State, and society, the development mindset remains narrow, lacking mechanisms to unlock potential.
Artist Nguyen Hoang Linh Phuong proposed that the document should concretize policies to attract and utilize Vietnamese intellectuals abroad, considering this a strategic breakthrough. In addition to mechanisms to invite talented individuals to return to the country and contribute, there should be policies to create conditions for Vietnamese people abroad to contribute indirectly, through cooperation projects, sharing experiences, and transferring international skills to students in Vietnam.
From feedback to partnership
Feedback from Germany, Australia, and the UK indicates that the community of Vietnamese students and young intellectuals abroad is becoming an important policy resource.
The common thread in the feedback is a spirit of constructive dialogue and a commitment to aligning with the Party's overarching direction. More than just the slogan "overseas Vietnamese intellectuals are a national asset," today's young Vietnamese generation abroad desires concrete mechanisms to measure, connect, and effectively utilize this resource – a policy requirement, but also an expectation of hearts always turned towards the homeland.
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/tieng-noi-tu-cong-dong-du-hoc-sinh-20251114100350825.htm
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