US$5 billion remitted from abroad to HCMC in 2018
US$5 billion remitted from abroad to HCMC in 2018
Overseas Vietnamese last year sent US$5 billion to their relatives and friends in HCMC, Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the city, said yesterday. Over 70% of incoming remittances to the city went to investment and business activities.
Vietnamese communities overseas have contributed greatly to the development of the city, Phong remarked at a New Year gathering attended by 800 overseas Vietnamese, who live in 30 countries and territories.
Over the past few years, more than 400 overseas Vietnamese intellectuals and experts have returned to HCMC to work, along with nearly 200 intellectuals collaborating with universities, hi-tech park and hospitals. Also, some 3,000 companies founded by overseas Vietnamese have been licensed with charter capital exceeding VND45 trillion.
The municipal chairman expressed hope that the overseas Vietnamese would retain their sense of patriotism as well as continue to contribute to the country.
Speaking at the event, Nguyen Thien Nhan, the municipal Party chief, lauded the contribution of overseas Vietnamese to the city’s growth and suggested the city adopt specialized policies to receive projects and innovations from them.
The city should establish a team to receive and handle feedback and investment proposals from overseas Vietnamese. Whenever they are in trouble, they can contact the team to seek solutions, Nhan suggested.
Besides this, overseas Vietnamese groups and individuals who made strong contributions to the city last year were honored with awards at the event.
New Year meetings with overseas Vietnamese are annual events of the city, reflecting the municipal authorities’ prioritization of overseas Vietnamese communities returning to Vietnam to visit their relatives.
