“Currently, this is the best opportunity for overseas Vietnamese to return to do business in Vietnam.”

On August 21, at the 4th Overseas Vietnamese Conference and the 2024 Overseas Vietnamese Intellectuals and Experts Forum, businessman Johnathan Hanh Nguyen, a Filipino expatriate and Chairman of the Inter-Pacific Group, shared that in the first years after the country's reunification, he returned to his homeland with the mission of opening a flight route from Ho Chi Minh City to Manila, contributing to breaking the embargo against Vietnam.

He himself has also gathered assets and called on friends to return to invest in his homeland and from there continue to accompany the country throughout the journey of development and international integration.

“After many years of investing and doing business in Vietnam, I realize that now is the best opportunity for overseas Vietnamese to return to do business in Vietnam,” said Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen.

Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen speaks at the conference (Photo: Quang Vinh)

Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen also personally assessed that, over the past time, with a strategic vision, the Government has continuously improved and issued new policies, especially in the fields of investment, economy, education and science and technology. Thanks to that, the investment environment has been significantly improved, creating favorable mechanisms, not only attracting capital but also the return of knowledge, experience and creativity from the Vietnamese community abroad.

To help us grow stronger in the new period, Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen made a few suggestions.

Accordingly, regarding attracting talent, especially the young generation from the overseas Vietnamese community, Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen analyzed: The young generation is a great potential resource for the country. The government should have a strategy to attract overseas Vietnamese students and young people to intern, start businesses, and participate in community projects in Vietnam to help them connect with their roots and bring new initiatives, contributing to the development of the country.

One very encouraging thing is that recently, we have seen many young people from abroad returning to Vietnam to start their own businesses, including those born abroad. This proves that there is a significant shift of knowledge from abroad to Vietnam, especially from countries with developed technology and economies. In Ho Chi Minh City, there are currently nearly 100 start-up companies and many venture capital funds of young overseas Vietnamese, most of whom are from the United States.

Overseas Vietnamese delegates attending the conference (Photo: Quang Vinh)

From there, Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen suggested that the Government should apply a sandbox mechanism, allowing testing of new technologies and new business models without requiring many licenses. There are young Vietnamese technology entrepreneurs who have pioneered the creation of new technologies that have never existed in the world, but when they bring them back to Vietnam, they are still limited by Vietnam's policies that are not compatible with international ones.

In addition, he suggested that the Government create more favorable conditions for young overseas Vietnamese to apply for Vietnamese nationality while still retaining their foreign nationality, and obtain identification cards so that they can settle down in Vietnam for a long time. "This is extremely important and I know that many young overseas Vietnamese are facing difficulties in this matter," he said.

Second, regarding the improvement of the investment environment, Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen said that although Vietnam has made great strides in improving the investment environment, it still needs to increase transparency and simplify procedures. It is necessary to consider a one-stop mechanism specifically for overseas Vietnamese, where information, advice and legal issues related to investment can be provided quickly.

Third, referring to the strategy of developing regional innovation hubs, according to Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen, Vietnam has made clear progress in promoting digital transformation, but it is necessary to plan "technology clusters" with modern digital infrastructure, located in major cities and key economic regions, where businesses and technology startups can interact, share knowledge and collaborate on research.

In particular, it is necessary to create special incentive mechanisms for national data infrastructure projects, AI development, semiconductors, and promote high-quality human resource training programs. This will not only help enhance the country's technological capacity but also bring international capital and knowledge for the digital transformation process. We should have special mechanisms to promote technology incubators and venture capital because they are key components of the innovation ecosystem that help innovators create new technologies and commercialize those technology products.

Fourth, regarding the policy of encouraging overseas Vietnamese to participate in tourism development and tourism retail investment, Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen proposed that Vietnam has become an attractive destination on the international tourism map, but to develop sustainably and make a difference, we need to better utilize the connection with networks in major international markets through the global overseas Vietnamese community.

Delegates attending the conference (Photo: Quang Vinh)

We need to have support mechanisms to connect overseas Vietnamese retail stores to display and sell Vietnamese products. This will help enhance the position of Vietnamese brands in the international market. On the other hand, Vietnam needs to invest in developing high-quality commercial and service infrastructure, professionalize the retail system at tourist destinations, and develop shopping centers, integrating with international standards to attract tourists.

“I hope that, with the spirit of patriotism, solidarity, and always looking back to the roots, overseas Vietnamese will continue to guide our descendants - the young generation of overseas Vietnamese - the country's outstanding young intellectuals will follow in the footsteps of their fathers and uncles to return and join hands in building the homeland, contributing to further enhancing Vietnam's position in the international arena,” said Mr. Johnathan Hanh Nguyen.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/doanh-nhan-johnathan-hanh-nguyen-hien-dang-la-co-hoi-tot-nhat-cho-kieu-bao-tro-ve-lam-an-tai-viet-nam-10288526.html