The Association of Vietnamese People in the Kansai region, in coordination with the Consulate General of Vietnam in Osaka and the Ikuno district administration, organised the “Homeland Spring – Osaka Great Unity Tet 2026” programme on January 4, 2026. Photo: VNA  

In the buoyant atmosphere following the success of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), overseas Vietnamese communities, including those in Japan’s Kansai region, are turning their attention towards the homeland with renewed confidence and expectations.

Speaking to a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent in Japan on this occasion, President of the Association of Vietnamese in the Kansai region Le Thuong said that ahead of the congress, she had expressed her hope that the event would continue to strongly affirm the Party’s strategic vision for sustainable and self-reliant national development, while ensuring harmonious linkages between economic growth and cultural and human development.

She particularly expected new policies to further affirm the view that expatriates are an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation, alongside long-term orientations for preserving cultural identity and the Vietnamese language.

After studying the Congress documents and closely following its outcomes, Thuong said she clearly sensed a consistent spirit of inheritance, renewal, and development in the Party’s guideline.

The Congress not only reaffirmed the role of culture as the spiritual foundation of society, but also highlighted the need to promote Vietnam’s cultural soft power amid deepening international integration. For overseas Vietnamese, including those in Kansai, these orientations have met expectations set prior to the Congress, especially the emphasis on preserving and promoting the Vietnamese language as a core element in safeguarding roots, identity, and enduring bonds with the homeland.

Drawing from practical experience in Kansai which is home to a large number of Vietnamese people, Thuong noted that the Congress’s orientations on developing high-quality human resources, strengthening cultural diplomacy, and promoting people-to-people exchanges will have a direct and profound impact on the overseas community. Kansai is not only an important economic and educational hub of Japan, but also a place where a young generation of Vietnamese is growing up in a bilingual and multicultural environment.

In this context, teaching and learning Vietnamese among overseas Vietnamese children is not merely an educational activity, but a task of long-term strategic significance.

The Vietnamese language serves as a vital bond connecting generations of expatriates with the nation’s history, culture, and traditions. The Party’s policies supporting overseas Vietnamese in preserving the language, building Vietnamese cultural spaces, and promoting people-to-people exchanges have provided an important political and spiritual foundation for associations in Kansai to carry out activities in a more systematic, sustainable, and effective manner.

Assessing the community’s confidence and consensus following the Congress, Thuong said she has observed their growing trust in and support for the Party’s leadership. Beyond national development goals, the community is particularly attentive to policies related to people, culture, and education which are areas that closely tied to daily life abroad.

Looking ahead, the Association of Vietnamese in Kansai plans to further expand Vietnamese language classes for children, standardise teaching content and methods suited to a bilingual environment, and organise cultural activities linked with the language. Through these efforts, the association hopes to nurture love for the homeland among overseas Vietnamese while translating the spirit of the 14th National Party Congress into concrete, practical actions./.