Local residents crowded the tanks near the presidential palace in Saigon (now HCM City) after the palace had fallen into the control of the liberation army on April 30, 1975. (Photo: VNA/VNS Lâm Hồng)

Forty-seven years since the day, the Party and State of Viet Nam have been working hard with the policy of national reconciliation and harmonious concord, eliminating prejudice and discrimination due to the past, and building a spirit of openness, respect, understanding, and mutual trust, and looking forward to the future.

The policy was designed on the basis of core national interests, which are national independence, unification, prosperity, territorial integrity, and solidarity between the 98 million people inside the country and the more than 5 million abroad.

The policy of reconciliation and concord of the Party and State of Viet Nam takes the national interests as the common ground of all people of Vietnamese origin, whether at home or abroad. The State creates favorable conditions for everyone, regardless of the past, to visit and contribute to the construction of the homeland.

Party lines on the great national solidarity

In January 1994, the mid-term national conference of the seventh Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV)’s Central Committee underlined the view of strengthening the great national solidarity, bringing into play all the creativity of workers, farmers and intellectuals as well as people from all walks of life, all classes and religions, including the overseas Vietnamese community.

The significance of the great national solidarity and contributions of Vietnamese people both inside and outside the country continued to be affirmed through the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th National Party Congresses.

In particular, on March 26, 2004, the Politburo of the Communist Party of Viet Nam issued a Resolution on working for overseas Vietnamese (Resolution 36-NQ/TW).

Resolution 36-NQ/TW stressed that although living far away from the Fatherland, the people always nurture and promote the spirit of patriotism and national pride, preserve cultural traditions and look to their roots and bond with family and homeland.

Many people have made contributions to the cause of national liberation and national reunification. Working for overseas Vietnamese should fully demonstrate the tradition of great national unity.

The basis of solidarity is national consciousness and patriotism, national pride and the common goal of all Vietnamese people to maintain national independence, unify the country with the goal of making the people rich and the country a strong, just, democratic and civilized society.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc with Vietnamese overseas at the Homeland Spring Gathering (Xuan Que huong) 2022. (Photo: VNA)

All Vietnamese, regardless of ethnicity, religion, origin, social status, reason for going abroad, wishing to contribute to the achievement of the above goals are gathered in a great national solidarity bloc. Overseas Vietnamese are an integral part and a resource of the Vietnamese ethnic community.

Shelve the past but also not allow the distortion of history

For national independence, reunification and peace for the people, Viet Nam had to fight long wars and suffered great loss. More than 1.14 million soldiers and over 4 million civilians were killed or maimed for life during the wars.

Remembering the history and losses caused by the wars, Vietnamese people do not aim to deepen the hatred, prejudice and discrimination, but to treasure peace and the achievements that have been made so far.

Viet Nam welcomes goodwill for reconciliation and concord as well as contributions to the national construction by all Vietnamese people, even by those who once turned their backs on the nation's core interests of independence, unification and territorial integrity.

However, while the majority of Vietnamese overseas people have shown goodwill, a small group still kept their isolated hatred and destructive actions, still call April 30 “the national hatred day” or “black April” after nearly half a century of national reunification,

National reconciliation and concord are not an excuse for those people to make unreasonable demands on the country, swap the truth, change white for black, distort the great historical significance of the National Liberation Day and turn a blind eye to the socio-economic achievements Viet Nam has reaped through the past 47 years, especially through nearly 36 years of “Doi Moi” (Renewal).

Realisation of “Doi Moi” cause and the policy of great national solidarity

The reality has proved that a large number of Vietnamese people abroad welcome the country’s renewal cause and great national solidarity policy, and look forward to the country’s prosperity and development to go in tandem with other countries in the region and in the world.

Many have visited their families and hometowns, while engaging in investment and business, scientific and technological, education, culture, art, sports cooperation as well as humanitarian and charity activities at home.

A corner of Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)

Widely opening the arms for all Vietnamese people living away from the Fatherland, the Party and State have always created optimal conditions for them to return to their roots, visit their relatives, worship their ancestors and make contributions to the homeland.

Many policies have been rolled out to specify and complete regulations on entry, exit, residence and travel of overseas Vietnamese in the view of openness, convenient simplicity of procedures.

At the same time, efforts have been exerted to continue to solve a number of existing problems of domestic housing purchase, inheritance, marriage and family, child adoption, etc. related to overseas Vietnamese.

Humanitarian issues left behind by history have been settled with care and reason on the basis of Vietnamese morality, in order to realise the policy of great national solidarity.

Still, a handful of Vietnamese people abroad who have yet to return to the homeland to see with their own eyes the achievements of the country's development, or have kept their prejudice and refused to properly understand the situation of the country, are deliberately running against the common interests of the nation, and trying to harm the cooperative relationship between their host countries and Viet Nam. Those self- isolated act will be lost in the strong current of the whole nation moving forward.