HCM City, Jan. 30 (VNA) - Prime Minister Phan Van Khai called upon overseas Vietnamese to contribute more to promoting the friendship and cooperation between their host countries and Viet Nam, thus helping stop actions that injure the homeland's interests and its cooperation with other countries.

 He made the call at a get-together for overseas Vietnamese held in Ho Chi Minh City on Jan. 30. The event, jointly held by the municipal People's Committee and the city's Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, was attended by more than 700 overseas Vietnamese from 20 countries and territories.

 PM Khai told the participants that the homeland needed wide-ranging contributions by all Vietnamese living inside and outside the country regardless of their religious beliefs, origins, past and social positions, for achieving a common goal of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity for the people's prosperity, a strong country, and a just, democratic and civilised society.

 The PM stressed the Party and State's consistent policy to protect overseas Vietnamese's legitimate interests and expressed his desire to see a closer link between  overseas Vietnamese and their peers at home.

 He also appealed to overseas Vietnamese to uphold the tradition of solidarity    by supporting each other in business, and urged them to preserve the Vietnamese cultural identity and language in their residing countries.

 At the get-together, the PM told the Vietnamese sectors and agencies to work together in protecting overseas Vietnamese's legitimate interests and creating favourable conditions for them to contribute to the development of the homeland.

 On this occasion, the PM sent his best New Year wishes to all overseas Vietnamese the world over.

 Prof. Dr. Tran Van Khe, on behalf of overseas Vietnamese in France, expressed the strong feelings for the home country of Vietnamese living far from the homeland. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dang Hung from Belgium praised the Party and State's policies on overseas Vietnamese as well as the city's initiative aiming to bring into play the great potential of overseas Vietnamese. Hung also expressed overseas Vietnamese's hopes for a clear roadmap and favourable environment to mobilise resources, particularly brainpower from overseas Vietnamese. He proposed a common forum for Vietnamese intellectuals and experts at home and abroad to discuss and provide advices on strategic matters of the country.

 President of the Overseas Vietnamese Business Association in HCM City, Phan Thanh, said overseas Vietnamese, wherever they live and work and whatever citizenship they have, are people of Vietnamese origin who always look toward the homeland. The Overseas Vietnamese Business Association in HCM City has become a bridge between overseas Vietnamese community and their relatives and other compatriots at home.

 On this occasion, Chairman of the HCM City People's Committee Le Thanh Hai presented Certificates of Merit to 10 overseas Vietnamese businesses and intellectuals, who had made positive contributions to the city's socio-economic development.