Some 120 overseas Vietnamese teenagers from 26 countries arrived in Hanoi on Thursday for Vietnam Summer Camp 2023, an annual event aimed at building connections between overseas Vietnamese youth and their motherland.

The year's Vietnam Summer Camp, the 18th iteration, will span two weeks and include visits to historic sites and charming landscapes in 10 cities and provinces across Vietnam.

The event is hosted by the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to dozens of opportunities for participants to build stronger bonds with Vietnamese culture, six outstanding overseas Vietnamese will be honored for their contributions to the overseas Vietnamese communities.

Speaking at the opening ceremony for the event, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairwoman of the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said that she was excited to welcome young overseas Vietnamese to this year’s summer camp.

She also shared her hopes that participants will, one day, contribute to Vietnam’s development and help to preserve the Vietnamese language.  

“I hope young overseas Vietnamese people will continue learning to speak the Vietnamese language, while practicing Vietnamese songs and dances after the camp,” Deputy Minister Hang said, adding that she expects young overseas Vietnamese to learn how to cook traditional Vietnamese dishes.

Tran Ha Phuong, a 16-year-old Vietnam Summer Camp 2023 participant who lives and studies in Vientiane, Laos, said that speaking in Vietnamese with other young Vietnamese people helps her feel connected with her peers.

In Laos, Phuong spends her free time participating in art performances at music festivals in order to fundraise for various causes. 

She also offers free-of-charge lessons to Vietnamese students. She hopes to one day work in Vietnam.

Ha Duong Hai My, another participant who joins the camp from Poland, said that the Vietnam Summer Camp 2023 would help her feel more proud of Vietnam and she hopes the experience will give her the confidence to introduce Vietnamese culture to her friends.

Mai Phan Dung, vice-chairman of the State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, said that overseas Vietnamese communities are a key aspect of Vietnam’s development plan, particularly as they help to forge connections between Vietnam and countries around the world.

“Vietnam Summer Camp is a special and meaningful program meant to nourish a love for the motherland amongst overseas Vietnamese youth and increase their desires to conserve and promote Vietnamese cultural values," Dung said.

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