Strengthening coordination in foreign affairs and overseas Vietnamese in Dak Lak province

Toàn cảnh buổi làm việc giữa Thứ trưởng Ngoại giao Lê Thị Thu Hằng với Ủy ban nhân dân tỉnh Đắk Lắk. (Ảnh: Báo Đắk Lắk)

Overview of the working session between Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang and the People's Committee of Dak Lak province. (Photo: Dak Lak Newspaper)

The delegation included Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien, Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese; Mr. Nguyen Dong Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy. Receiving the delegation, on the Dak Lak side, there was Mr. Truong Cong Thai, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and representatives of relevant departments and branches.

At the meeting, Vice Chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee Truong Cong Thai informed about the socio -economic development situation of the province after implementing the merger policy.

Since July 1, Dak Lak province has officially merged with Phu Yen province, becoming the third largest province in the country in terms of area and one of the few localities with both land borders and coastline. The province has the presence of 49/54 ethnic groups and 7 main religions, creating a rich and diverse cultural and social character but also containing many complex factors.

Besides the great potential in population, land and agriculture with key products such as coffee, pepper, durian, etc., the locality also faces many challenges in social management and ethnic and religious issues in the transition period.

Phó Chủ tịch UBND tỉnh Đắk Lắk Trương Công Thái phát biểu tại buổi làm việc.

Vice Chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee Truong Cong Thai speaks at the meeting. (Photo: Dak Lak Newspaper)

On behalf of the delegation, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang thanked the provincial leaders for their warm welcome and acknowledged the locality's active cooperation in organizing the Vietnam Summer Camp 2025. This year, the program chose Buon Ma Thuot as the opening location instead of traditional coastal locations - a choice of historical significance when Dak Lak was the land that opened the victory of the Central Highlands campaign, creating an important historical turning point for the Great Spring Victory of 1975, completely liberating the South and reunifying the country.

The Deputy Minister acknowledged the province's efforts in stabilizing the situation and promoting development after the merger; at the same time, he also noted a number of contents that require close local coordination in the coming time.

Specifically, regarding consular work and citizen protection, it is necessary to review the province's consular area after the merger to ensure it is consistent with the authority and scope of operations of foreign consular agencies; with the specific characteristics of a locality with both a land border and a coastline, the province needs to focus on monitoring and coordinating the handling of issues related to border security, illegal immigration and emigration, nationality of people of Vietnamese origin in Cambodia, as well as the management of seafood exploitation to "remove" the EU's IUU yellow card.

In particular, with the characteristic of a province with a large population of ethnic minorities and many religions living together, the Deputy Minister suggested that the locality proactively provide complete and timely information, especially positive highlights, to effectively serve the work of foreign information, press, media and human rights dialogue mechanisms.

Thứ trưởng Lê Thị Thu Hằng phát biểu tại buổi làm việc.

Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang speaks at the meeting. (Photo: Dak Lak Newspaper)

At the meeting, representatives of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs support the promotion of international cooperation in the field of culture and tourism, especially projects such as the restoration of the first coffee plantation in Dak Lak, the development of Phu Yen Geopark, etc.

Mr. Tran Xuan Linh, Vice President of the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese in Dak Lak Province, said that the Association was established in 2005 and has always maintained effective operations. He suggested that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continue to support the connection of overseas Vietnamese associations to improve their expertise and operational efficiency in the locality.

At the end of the working session, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang acknowledged the opinions and recommendations of the province and affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to accompany and support the province in promoting international cooperation in the fields of culture and tourism, handling issues related to NVNONN, and enhancing effective coordination between the Central and local levels in foreign affairs, especially in the work related to NVNONN.