Vietnam’s success in 2010 was attributed to great contribution by the Vietnamese community in foreign countries in general and the US in particular, said Vietnam’s Consul General in San Francisco Le Quoc Hung at a meeting with overseas Vietnamese representatives in California on January 22.

Addressing the meeting, Mr Hung said that about 600,000 overseas Vietnamese returned to their homeland last year with estimated overseas remittance reaching US$8 billion, 25 percent more than 2009’s figure. Currently, Vietnam has more than 3,200 projects capitalized at about US$5.7 billion. The overseas Vietnamese communities in foreign countries have also actively participated in charity activities and raised more than VND16 billion for flood victims in Vietnam’s central region.

Mr Hung said wherever they live, Vietnamese people have always preserved their national identity and were looking forward to visiting or returning to their homeland.

The event was attended by around 1,000 overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese students and international guests, and Miss Vietnam World 2007 Ngo Phuong Lan.