In recent days, the outcomes and positive momentum of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) have continued to resonate deeply within the Vietnamese abroad, including those in Saint Petersburg, a Russian city home to a strong Vietnamese community and boasting close cooperation and twinning ties with Vietnam.
Speaking to VNA correspondents in Russia, Pham Thi Binh, an overseas Vietnamese living in Saint Petersburg and the owner of a small business, said that despite living abroad, she closely follows major developments at home, especially the Party’s National Congress, the most important political event of the Party and State held every five years.
Like many others in the community, she is especially interested in the policies related to overseas Vietnamese as well as the development of the private sector and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). She noted that the congress’s reaffirmation of the important role of overseas Vietnamese and SMEs in national development not only carries policy significance, but also serves as a major source of spiritual encouragement for Vietnamese communities abroad.
Closely following the congress from its preparatory stage, Nguyen Trung Chau, Secretary of the Vietnamese People Association in Saint Petersburg, expressed his satisfaction with the selection of qualified individuals for key positions, saying this has further strengthened his confidence in the country’s future. He emphasised that the farther overseas Vietnamese are from their homeland, the more closely they follow major national events such as the 14th National Party Congress.
Tran Ella, born to a Vietnamese father from Quang Ninh province and a mother from Siberia, voiced her pride when talking about the congress, describing it as a milestone marking a new stage of development for the country where she was born and raised. Inspired by her father’s reminders about maintaining cultural roots, she established the Vietnam – Russia Friendship Club to pass on Vietnamese cultural values, from language to traditional customs, which Vietnamese people preserve wherever they live.
For her, helping Russians gain a deeper understanding of Vietnamese culture is also a way of expressing her love for her father’s homeland while living in her mother’s country.
As head of the first Vietnamese community organisation officially registered with local authorities in Russia, Duong Chi Kien highlighted the responsibility of each Vietnamese individual to contribute to the national aspiration for development emphasised at the 14th Party Congress. From the overseas Vietnamese perspective, the Vietnamese People Association in Saint Petersburg has worked closely with local authorities to further deepen the Vietnam – Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.
He noted that the congress entrusted responsibilities to a new generation of capable, determined and action-oriented leaders, reflecting high and practical expectations for the country’s future leadership. These cadres, he said, possess not only strong ethics and a sense of responsibility, but also the capacity to absorb and apply science and technology while turning determination into action and action into tangible results, contributing to the realisation of Vietnam’s centennial development goals.
Kien affirmed that this resolve has spread throughout the overseas Vietnamese community, inspiring and encouraging them to continue contributing to their homeland in meaningful ways./.
