Vietnam Camp 2025 connects global youth with homeland
The program aims to foster stronger ties between young overseas Vietnamese and their homeland through cultural immersion, historical education, and community engagement.
THE HANOI TIMES — The Vietnam Camp, held annually by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOVA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will once again take place this July bringing together 110 exceptional young Vietnamese individuals from 31 countries and territories.
Nguyen Trung Kien, Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOVA), at a press conference on July 3. Photo: SCOVA
Scheduled from July 13 to 26, the camp themed "Together we write the next chapter of peace" will gather high-achieving students and active community members to travel across Vietnam and engage in activities that highlight the country's culture, history, and development.
The itinerary includes visits to significant landmarks, such as the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Quang Tri Memorial, as well as volunteer work in the Central Highlands. Campers will also explore the Gong culture unique to the region's ethnic communities.
A highlight of this year's program is an exchange with the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Missions under the Ministry of National Defense. SCOVA’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Kien said it would be the first time attendees to meet Vietnam's peacekeepers, the force that exemplifies Vietnam's commitment to peace and its role as a responsible global partner.
This is also the first time the camp will be held in the Central Highlands, a region rich in cultural identity and home to ethnic minorities with unique traditions, he said at the briefing.
New policies to support overseas Vietnamese
During the press conference, Kien touched on recent policy adjustments aimed at facilitating the return and reintegration of overseas Vietnamese into national development efforts.
On June 24, the National Assembly passed amendments to the Law on Vietnamese Nationality, which ease requirements for Vietnamese people living abroad to obtain or restore Vietnamese citizenship while allowing them to retain their overseas citizenship.
Kien said the move marks Vietnam’s pivotal shift in citizenship policy as it opens new doors for overseas Vietnamese to reconnect with their origins.
In addition, on June 27, lawmakers approved the Law on Science, Technology, and Innovation that defines the sectors as key drivers of Vietnam’s future economic growth.
Kien noted that the law is expected to spark a breakthrough in Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem and signal to the global Vietnamese scientific community, especially those abroad, that their contributions are welcome.
The state committee would coordinate relevant agencies to create favorable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to contribute more effectively to the country’s development, he stated.
