Vietnamese expatriates: valuable resource for tourism development

To further tap the potential of the Vietnamese community for tourism development, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will conduct joint research and build tourism models tailored to the needs of overseas Vietnamese.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and outstanding overseas Vietnamese attend the Homeland Spring Program 2023 . Photo: VNA

Some initiatives of the two sides, the "Summer Camp" for overseas Vietnamese students and the "Year of the Overseas Vietnamese" at the provincial and national levels, will continue with expanded participation and diversified objectives. More activities are expected as the two agencies signed a close cooperation agreement in August.

Overseas Vietnamese an affluent customer base

According to the State Committee of Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese expatriates strongly desire to return home, visit places and explore Vietnamese culture and traditions.

In recent years, they have been an important source contributing to the development of the national tourism industry. From 2009 to date, there has been an annual influx of about one million overseas Vietnamese visiting the country, equivalent to the number of Japanese arrivals, which is considered the third largest tourist source market for Vietnam, the agency said.

In addition, the younger generation, born and raised in a foreign cultural and educational environment, will play a leading role in economic and social activities within the overseas Vietnamese community. Doing business, visiting relatives, tourism and exploring roots in Vietnam are all growing trends, it stressed.

Since 2004, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese has regularly organized Summer camps for overseas Vietnamese youth to visit their homeland. Young overseas Vietnamese travel throughout Vietnam, visiting famous scenic spots and learning about the culture and customs of different regions.

The committee has also combined sightseeing activities with other annual programs, such as pilgrimage to the Hung King Temple Festival, Vietnamese language training courses, and Homeland Spring - a year-end rendezvous among Vietnamese expats.

Join hands 

Young overseas Vietnamese visit the Temple of Literature. Photo: Hanoimoi newspaper

Vietnamese missions abroad are expected to be key in promoting Vietnamese tourism among the expatriate community. The Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic has proposed several solutions, such as mobilizing the establishment of direct flights between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, facilitating visa exemptions for overseas Vietnamese holding foreign passports, and developing additional tourism programs that combine cultural, traditional, and Vietnamese people explorations.

In addition, some local tour operators have designed tourism programs rich in cultural and historical content for overseas Vietnamese.

Phu Tho Province, home to the Hung Temple Historical Site and the cradle of Hung King worship as a symbol of Vietnam's national unity, and Dien Bien Province, with its beautiful natural scenery in the northern mountainous region, have implemented preferential policies for overseas Vietnamese.

In October, three central provinces and cities, including Quang Nam, Thua Thien Hue and Danang, cooperated with the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association to organize a tourism promotion event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This activity aimed to diversify the source market after a period affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, while strengthening the promotion of the Amazing Central Vietnam Heritage brand.

In particular, the tourism promotion centers of the three provinces and cities and the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in tourism promotion between the two sides.

As an active overseas Vietnamese engaged in activities related to the motherland, Tran Thi Chang, chairwoman of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association, told Que huong magazine that communication and tourism promotion are among the association's missions. Each member of the association would act as a tourism ambassador to promote Vietnamese culture, cuisine and people, especially among the overseas Vietnamese community, thereby contributing to the development of Vietnam's tourism industry.