President Vo Van Thuong and warm meetings with his homeland

Tet is always special to every Vietnamese person. Tet is the occasion for children to "go far away to return", reunite in family affection, love for homeland, and joyfully welcome the new year.

Photo caption — President meets Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan; Associate Professor Le Thi Thanh Thuy and Dr. Hoang Hai - Osaka Metropolitan University, Buddhist nun Thich Tam Tri attend the meeting.

No matter where, in what conditions, what age, what nationality, as a Vietnamese, with the blood of Lac - Hong, everyone can contribute to the Fatherland in their own way. Because love for the Fatherland is a very natural, close and sacred feeling; turning to the Fatherland is a need, a legitimate desire. Vietnamese people abroad, regardless of generation, wherever they are, are always a part of the flesh and blood, an inseparable part of the Vietnamese people, always present in the hearts of Vietnam. That is the message that President Vo Van Thuong always emphasized in many foreign trips. The meetings of the President with our overseas compatriots far from the Fatherland are always filled with the warm feelings of millions of Vietnamese hearts. "Mother" Fatherland

The country and the Fatherland are likened to a “Mother”. The “Mother” always watches over and cares for her “children” living and working all over the world and happily witnesses their success. Sending these sentiments to overseas Vietnamese, the President also expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese will return to visit the country more often to witness the changes in the country, the achievements of the renovation process, and join hands to build and protect the beloved Fatherland of Vietnam.

One early winter morning in 2023. Despite the cold of the land of cherry blossoms, dozens of Vietnamese scientists and intellectuals in Japan traveled a long distance to gather in the capital Tokyo to attend a meeting with President Vo Van Thuong during his historic visit to Japan. Excitedly waiting and moved when saying goodbye. The meeting left in overseas Vietnamese strong impressions of the sincerity, closeness, simplicity and depth of a Senior Leader who always has a deep affection for overseas Vietnamese and especially values knowledge, considering science and technology as the door, the thread connecting overseas intellectuals with the cause of building and developing the country.

Connecting “from heart to heart”, the President sympathized, shared joy and pride with overseas Vietnamese intellectuals, with their journey of overcoming difficulties, excelling in scientific research and dedicating their strength and intelligence to the country and homeland.

Silently overcoming difficulties with sweat, tears and joy, success marked by medals, that is the story of the journey of more than 20 years conquering the peaks of science, wholeheartedly supporting Vietnamese students of Associate Professor Le Thi Thanh Thuy and her husband, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai - Osaka Metropolitan University. Graduated as valedictorian of Hanoi Medical University, received a scholarship to study abroad in Japan, after much effort, Associate Professor Le Thi Thanh Thuy is now the second expert in the world on Cytoglobin... During that arduous but very proud journey, Ms. Thuy met a like-minded colleague, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hai - President of the Vietnamese Student Association in Osaka in the early 2000s. Mr. Hai is also a key member promoting the Vietnam - Japan Student Scientific Exchange Conference, a very effective cooperation program between overseas intellectuals and domestic youth. Having become famous far away but always looking towards the Fatherland, the two life partners, two Vietnamese scientists, have directly trained many PhDs and Masters and quietly connected many scholarships for Vietnamese researchers and students to study and research in Japan.

Or the story of Mr. Tran Ngoc Phuc, Chairman of Metran Group. He is known as the "father" of the MV20 ventilator - a multi-function ventilator that has saved the lives of millions of premature babies in more than 20 countries. Despite being away from home since childhood and being old, Mr. Tran Ngoc Phuc is still persistent with scientific research projects. Faced with the huge impact of the epidemic in his homeland, Metran joined forces with organizations and businesses in his homeland to produce 2,000 Eliciae MV20 ventilators to give to the Government and people of Vietnam, serving the treatment of COVID-19 patients. In 2012, Metran was honored to welcome the Emperor of Japan to visit. In 2018, Mr. Tran Ngoc Phuc was proud to receive the Order of the Rising Sun Silver Rays from the Japanese Imperial Family.

Impressed when meeting with the outstanding representatives of the Vietnamese intellectual community in the Land of the Rising Sun, President Vo Van Thuong was moved: "Hearing you talk about your experiences, efforts and successes, I am very happy, very moved and very proud of the achievements you have made". Success in Vietnam is difficult, but success abroad is many times more difficult. Because "at home, there are relatives to support, but in a foreign land, facing countless difficulties alone, one must have a very good spirit, will and determination to overcome".

“It is not true that you study abroad, work, and then return home that you are patriotic”; “As a patriotic Vietnamese, you can take patriotic actions and demonstrate your patriotism wherever you go”. And it is not true that you can only contribute to the country by returning home, you can even contribute more to the country when you are abroad, the President said. Excited after the sincere and impressive meeting with the President, Associate Professor Le Thi Thanh Thuy and her husband, Dr. Hoang Hai, expressed: We feel the heart for the nation and the country. In 21 years of working in Japan, this is the first time we have met the President and felt the extremely friendly feelings. The President discussed that not only in Vietnam can one contribute to the Fatherland, but becoming an expert who is loved and trusted by the local people can play a good role as a bridge to support training, connect scholarships and cooperate, link, and train people in the country, Ms. Thuy appreciated.

Respecting and appreciating the great contributions and quiet, persistent efforts of overseas Vietnamese in Japan, before leaving the "land of cherry blossoms" on a memorable visit, the President took the time to visit the International Research Center for Hydrogen Energy at Kyushu University, where the only Vietnamese working is Dr. Pham Hung Cuong. Moved and honored to be visited by the President, with 11 years of experience in researching new generation fuel cell technology, Dr. Pham Hung Cuong, who is also Vice President of the Vietnam - Japan Experts Association, affirmed that with his affection for Vietnam, he will promote cooperation between the two countries in the fields of green growth and digital transformation. As Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio once shared, the development of Vietnam - Japan relations does not only take place in the political and economic fields, but also lies in the understanding and empathy between people, originating from the long-standing historical and cultural ties between the two countries. The success of overseas Vietnamese - the pride of the Fatherland President Vo Van Thuong has repeatedly affirmed that successful and famous overseas Vietnamese make positive contributions to the host country and are also an important bridge between Vietnam and the world, an important factor in people's diplomacy, actively preserving and spreading national cultural values, building the image of Vietnam abroad, contributing to enhancing the position and prestige of Vietnam in the international arena. The success of each Vietnamese person abroad always brings joy and pride to the Fatherland of Vietnam.

Sharing about the Homeland Spring Program 2024 - a program to reunite more than 1,500 overseas Vietnamese from all over the world to return home to celebrate Tet and enjoy Spring, including overseas Vietnamese intellectuals from Japan, the President expressed his sympathy for the aspirations, will to rise up, wishes and desires to join hands to contribute to the development of the country from overseas Vietnamese. Although living far from the Fatherland, our compatriots always nurture and promote the spirit of patriotism, national pride, preserve cultural traditions and turn to their roots, attached to their family, homeland, and country...

In the capital city of Vienna, during the official visit to the Republic of Austria (July 2023), despite being very busy with the tight schedule of the visit, President Vo Van Thuong still took the time to visit, give gifts, and encourage Dr. of Physics Nguyen Duy Ha - a Vietnamese scientist who graduated from Hanoi University of Science and Technology; currently an expert in low-temperature quantum physics, a professor at Vienna University of Science and Technology. He belongs to the number one research group in Austria and is one of the top 7 low-temperature research groups in Europe. Also within the framework of the working trip to California, USA, to attend the APEC Summit 2023 (November 2023), the President and his wife visited the family of overseas Vietnamese Pham Van Tich - a disabled person but an information technology expert at Berkeley University. Despite his old age and poor health, Mr. Tich's family is still a warm home for many generations of Vietnamese students studying in the Oakland area, California. Moved by the heart of an overseas Vietnamese intellectual who devoted his whole life to campaigning for support for the country, President Vo Van Thuong emphasized that the Party and State will never forget the great contributions of overseas Vietnamese to the cause of national liberation, construction and development. Joining hands to build a foundation The strength of a nation does not lie in the resources underground or in the sea, but in high-quality human resources with intelligence, knowledge and dignity. The Vietnamese people always respect talented people and "love intellectuals". President Vo Van Thuong once affirmed that Vietnam has a very strong view on building a strong intellectual team "to raise the intelligence of the nation and the strength of the country". Albert Einstein said: "The law of attraction is not responsible for people falling in love". President Vo Van Thuong once shared: “Vietnam's attraction probably comes from its culture, its smiles, its optimism, its hospitality, its willingness to learn, and from its passionate patriots who value sustainable values.”

Vietnam is steadily moving forward on the path to realizing the aspiration and vision of developing a prosperous and happy country, becoming a developed country with high income by 2045. To successfully realize that aspiration, it is necessary to further promote the strength of national solidarity, mobilize and effectively use all resources, including nearly 6 million Vietnamese people living in 130 countries and territories, thereby unleashing the potential and creativity of the people for the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. The Head of State called on overseas Vietnamese to unite, firmly believe in the nation's goals, and join hands to build the country's foundation, potential, position and prestige, so that our beloved Fatherland Vietnam can steadily develop, standing shoulder to shoulder with the world powers. The reunion smiles, the warm talks about the homeland and the sincere, open-minded words of inquiry and encouragement from President Vo Van Thuong have added motivation and spread pride so that overseas Vietnamese people can make more efforts, try harder, and be worthy of the pride of the beloved "Mother" of the Fatherland.