Finding solutions to attract overseas Vietnamese resources to serve Vietnam's tourism development

The demand for overseas Vietnamese to visit relatives and travel to Vietnam is increasing. The older generation of overseas Vietnamese has mostly settled down, has accumulated assets, and has time with an increasing demand for travel and relaxation.

On the evening of August 8, the Workshop "Attracting Vietnamese resources abroad to serve tourism development" was held in person and online.

The event was organized by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SOCV), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. At the workshop, many practical ideas and proposals were discussed.

Tìm giải pháp thu hút nguồn lực kiều bào phục vụ phát triển du lịch Viêt Nam

Delegates attending the live workshop in Hanoi . (Photo: Duong Tieu)

The event was attended by nearly 70 delegates from ministries, branches, local Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism and 15 Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, leaders of strong overseas Vietnamese associations and delegations with many members; representatives of a number of overseas Vietnamese travel companies at home and abroad.

The workshop focused on exchanging and discussing a number of contents on what has been done, what is still lacking, what are the causes and proposing specific tasks and solutions to further attract overseas Vietnamese in general and the young generation of overseas Vietnamese in particular to travel to the country, learn about the culture, country and people of Vietnam, thereby contributing to the growth of tourism.

This is also an opportunity to widely disseminate Vietnam's tourism development strategies and policies abroad; enhance the role of representative agencies in promoting culture and boosting tourism and investment between Vietnam and other countries in the world.

Ideas for Overseas Vietnamese Tourism Year

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Ngo Huong Nam, Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, affirmed that tourism is an economic sector with an important role and position in the country's socio-economic development, and has received investment from the Party and State to become one of the key economic sectors.

However, from 2020 to now, along with all economic sectors and fields of the country, Vietnam tourism has been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the impact of the world and regional economic situation. In the post-Covid period, although tourism is on the path of recovery, it has not yet achieved the expected results.

To contribute to the recovery of the tourism industry and the overall development of the country, in addition to the solutions proposed in recent times, Mr. Ngo Huong Nam said that new ideas and approaches are needed.

The Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese shared: "Currently, there are more than 5.3 million Vietnamese people living abroad, this is a potential market that has not been effectively exploited in the past. The Overseas Vietnamese community always looks towards their homeland, wishes to return to visit relatives, travel, learn about the culture and traditions of the nation and is given the opportunity to contribute to building and protecting the country.

Over the years, NVNONN has been an important resource contributing to the development of the tourism industry. From 2009 to now, each year there have been about 700,000 to 1 million overseas Vietnamese returning to the country, equivalent to the number of Japanese tourists, the third largest tourist market of Vietnam.

Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Ngo Huong Nam speaks. (Photo: Duong Tieu)

According to Mr. Ngo Huong Nam, the demand for overseas Vietnamese to visit relatives and travel to Vietnam is increasing. The older generation of overseas Vietnamese has mostly stabilized their lives, has accumulated assets, has time, and the demand for travel and relaxation is increasing.

In addition, the younger generation born, raised, and educated in a foreign cultural and educational environment, the next generation, will play a leading role in the economic and social activities of the community; the trend of returning to Vietnam to do business, visit relatives, travel, and learn about one's roots... will increase.

Since 2004, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have organized the Vietnam Summer Camp for overseas Vietnamese youth to visit their homeland, participate in cross-country trips to learn about their roots, visit scenic spots, and learn about regional culture and customs.

The Committee also focuses on integrating sightseeing activities with other annual programs such as the Overseas Vietnamese Delegation to attend the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day; Vietnamese Language Teaching Training Class; and the Homeland Spring Program. In addition, the Committee also proposed the idea of organizing the Overseas Vietnamese Tourism Year, which, if highly effective, will be organized on a national scale.

Presenting a paper on “Practices in organizing summer camps for young overseas Vietnamese”, Mr. Dinh Hoang Linh, Director of the Department of Information and Culture, State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, said that this year’s program was carefully prepared, with clear ideas and 40 comprehensive activities from visiting scenic spots, historical sites, cultural heritages; to activities to show gratitude to ancestors, generations of fathers and brothers who have contributed to building and defending the country.

In addition, the delegation raised nearly 200 million VND to give gifts to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and families with meritorious services in Ha Tinh and Quang Tri; visited and gave gifts to children at social protection centers, orphanages and disabled children in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces... The activities created a connection between the young generation of overseas Vietnamese and their homeland and country.

Based on the success of these programs and the needs of the country, in response to the expectations of overseas Vietnamese, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese wishes to work with the National Tourism Administration and travel and tourism companies to research and build a tourism model focused on serving the needs of overseas Vietnamese.

This aims to promote and attract overseas Vietnamese tourists to return to visit their roots, while enhancing understanding of Vietnam's nature, culture, and national identity for generations of overseas Vietnamese.

Suggestions for developing origin tourism

At the workshop, Ms. Erin Phuong (overseas Vietnamese in the US), President of Vietnam Society, shared about the needs of overseas Vietnamese, especially young Vietnamese in the US, for origin tourism.

Ms. Erin Phuong said that there is a simple question about identity that many young Vietnamese Americans are asking: "Am I Vietnamese or American?" and root tourism will answer their concerns.

“Attachment to a place, a geographic location, a sense of nostalgia, or an emotional connection that a person has to a school means a lot to them,” she said. “Simply eating a bowl of pho in Vietnam evokes a different emotion than eating a bowl of pho in Washington DC.”

To develop root tourism, Ms. Phuong suggested some solutions such as developing a team of volunteers, supporting English translation...

In addition, choosing a tourist destination is necessary for the young generation of Vietnamese people in the US to understand their origins, their birthplace, as well as to open their exploration of cultural heritage from cuisine, literature, music to festivals, art, architecture, etc.

Ms. Shurani Hong, an Israeli expatriate, shared at the Workshop. (Photo: Le An)

Sharing her experience in attracting overseas Vietnamese tourists from Israel, Ms. Shurani Hong said: “The Israeli government always cares about and encourages the young generation aged 18-25 who are abroad to return to the country, as well as looking for young talents to develop their homeland. In addition, Israel also develops eco-tourism and agriculture - areas that Vietnam has great potential to promote.”

In order to further attract overseas Vietnamese in the Czech Republic to travel to Vietnam, Ms. Nguyen Dieu Linh, Counselor and Minister of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic, proposed a number of solutions such as promoting direct flights between Vietnam and Czech Republic; creating favorable conditions and shortening the review time for visa exemption for foreigners of Vietnamese origin; and developing more tourism programs combined with exploring Vietnamese culture, traditions and people.

Ms. Nguyen Dieu Linh shared: “Through research, the demand of overseas Vietnamese in the Czech Republic to participate in programs is quite large because this is an opportunity for them to learn about the culture, origins, and islands of their homeland... Being organized systematically by prestigious and experienced domestic agencies and organizations, the programs have received good feedback from participants, so overseas Vietnamese are willing to contribute funds to experience. In addition to existing activities, the State should research to build socialized activities, thereby attracting more participation of overseas Vietnamese.”

At the workshop, some business units such as Vietnam Transport Marketing and Tourism Joint Stock Company Vietravel also suggested some contents on building and organizing tourism programs to attract overseas Vietnamese to return home to visit relatives, travel and invest.

Representatives of some localities such as Phu Tho introduced the Hung King worship - a symbol of Vietnamese national solidarity or Dien Bien presented the tourism potential of the province and preferential and support policies to attract tourists, including overseas Vietnamese.

In his concluding remarks at the workshop, Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, affirmed that the workshop was a joint initiative of the two agencies with the desire to arouse and promote the resources and soft power of NVNONN for the country's development, including the tourism sector.

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a Coordination Regulation. (Photo: Duong Tieu)

This workshop is the beginning of expectations and ideas for developing a “Summer tourism camp program” for overseas Vietnamese students as well as the “Overseas Vietnamese Tourism Year” program at the provincial and national levels with a wider range of participants and more diverse goals.

To develop this program in the long term and effectively, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, Ministry of Foreign Affairs have signed a Coordination Regulation to demonstrate the close and responsible cooperation between the two agencies, the commitment of the two central-level agencies in facilitating and attracting overseas Vietnamese resources for national development.

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