Overseas Vietnamese in Russia Turn Towards the Beloved Fatherland

Nguyen Quoc Hung, director of the Russia-Vietnam Cooperation Development Promotion Fund "Tradition and Friendship" shared activities of the fund and the Vietnamese community in Russia in a recent interview granted to VietnamTimes.

Nguyen Quoc Hung (feft), director of the Russia-Vietnam Cooperation Development Promotion Fund "Tradition and Friendship".

- It is known that in the past year, the Russia-Vietnam Cooperation Development Promotion Fund "Tradition and Friendship" has organized many activities towards the Fatherland, supporting people to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic and natural disasters. Can you share this specifically with our readers about these activities?

- Responding to the call of the Government, the Overseas Vietnamese Association and the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia through the Fund "Tradition and Friendship”, launched the project "Vietnamese Unity" to call on the community to join hands to help the country repel the Covid-19 pandemic.

After two months from June 25 to August 25, 2021, the project was officially closed with a total donation of more than VND 3 billion (USD 127.900) with the participation of 1,307 individuals and 13 businesses. The entire amount, with the support of the Vietnamese diplomatic mission in the host country, was used to buy medicines for Covid-19 treatment and sent to the Health Ministry.

In addition, the Vietnamese community in Russia launched a fund-raising drive and bought three UAZ Hunter Expedition off-road vehicles made by Russia to present to the Rescue Department under the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army.

On August 11, 2022, in Hanoi, the handover ceremony of several vehicles was held in Hanoi. The three off-road vehicles symbolize the affection of people from the three regions of Vietnam living and working in the Russian Federation towards the beloved Fatherland.

The Overseas Vietnamese Association in Russia in August 2022 in Hanoi hands over three UAZ Hunter Expedition off-road vehicles to the Rescue Department under the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army.

- The overseas Vietnamese community is an important catalyst for the success of people-to-people diplomacy. What activities has the Fund "Traditions and Friendship" organized to strengthen the friendship between Vietnam and Russia?

- In the past 15 years, together with Vietnam's Embassy, the Overseas Vietnamese Association in Russia has organized a meeting with former military experts of the Soviet Union who supported Vietnam during the anti-US war. They have made great contributions to the relationship between the two countries, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Vietnam People’s Army and Vietnamese people in the fight to defend the Fatherland for independence and freedom.

This year, the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia cooperated with the Fund to mark the 50th anniversary of the “Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory. The meeting was very touching, in a warm and friendly atmosphere with the participation of nearly 50 veterans who used to work in Vietnam.

In addition to the annual activity, in the past year, the Fund "Traditions and Friendship" has organized, for the first time, a program to promote the Vietnamese language study and research movement in Russia. In March 2022, the Fund collaborated with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to host the first ever Vietnamese language interpretation contest.

The contest takes place in both face-to-face and online form, with the participation of nearly 20 bachelor and master students studying and researching Vietnamese language and culture at leading institutions such as MGIMO, Higher School of Economics, Saint-Peterburg University, Institute of Asian and African Countries at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Far Eastern University, Kazan Federal University, and Moscow State Linguistic University.

In addition to its academic values, the contest has contributed to the popularization of the Vietnamese language in Russia, the training of a new generation of Russian-Vietnamese who study Vietnam, and the promotion of cooperative relations. multifaceted cooperation between the two countries Vietnam and the Russian Federation.

In addition to the Vietnamese language contest, the "Traditional and Friendship" Fund also initiated and sponsored the first handbook on Vietnam's foreign economic affairs published in Russia, providing basic and up-to-date information on the achievements, orientations, external operations, and integration process of the economy.

At the launching ceremony of the handbook on Vietnam's foreign economic affairs in Moscow on December 16, 2022.

- In your opinion, what should overseas Vietnamese do to make practical and effective contributions to foreign affairs and promote the image of the country and people of Vietnam to international friends?

- In my opinion, we need to do the following, synchronously;

Firstly, we need to make the most of the Party's leadership and the support of the government, at the same time, expand and strengthen linkages and coordination among sectors, mass organizations and socio-political organizations; take advantage of the participation and contributions of organizations, individuals and all classes of people to broaden and improve the effectiveness of people-to-people external activities.

Specifically, we need to focus on and enhance the role of specialized and core socio-political organizations of people's diplomacy such as the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association. These organizations will act as a bridge to the Vietnamese associations in the host country, disseminating policies, planning and specific working directions for overseas Vietnamese activities become more methodical, more effective and practical.

Second, diversify and modernize the people-to-people diplomacy activities of expatriates. Take a specific example as the Russia-Vietnam Cooperation Development Promotion Fund "Tradition and Friendship", which is a structure following modern trends, helping to gather and help coordinate resources supporting people-to-people diplomatic activities; preserving, consolidating and developing the traditional friendship between the two peoples, contributing to building the comprehensive strategic cooperation relations between Vietnam and Russia.

The fund conducts diverse activities in cultural diplomacy, economic diplomacy and scientific diplomacy according to President Ho Chi Minh's thought on the synergy of the nation and diplomacy.

Third, each overseas Vietnamese with their daily actions, lives a better, more humane, more useful life, becomes a bridge of friendship, and is Vietnam's goodwill ambassador in the hearts of friends around the world.

- Thank you so much!

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