Party General Nguyen Phu Trong met with Overseas Vietnamese at the Homeland Spring 2015 event

The four-day conference on encouraging overseas Vietnamese to contribute to the development of the city and country will be held from November 11-14, said HCM City People's Committee spokesperson, Vo Van Hoan.

The conference, which is co-organised by the city and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be the biggest gathering of overseas Vietnamese people so far, Hoan said.

The conference will be attended by government and city leaders, representatives from ministries and other provinces in the south, and overseas Vietnamese people who are scientists, businesspeople, and academics from around the world.

The conference aims at seeking consultancy and ideas from overseas Vietnamese communities to address the city's problems as well as help develop various sectors including economics, science, IT, and education.

Remittances poured into Ho Chi Minh City through official channels are estimated at USD3.25 billion from January to September, up 4 percent year on year, mostly sourced from the US and Europe.

Statistics show that over the last five years, overseas remittances to Ho Chi Minh City alone have increased by an average of 10-12 percent.

HCM City's State Bank of Vietnam branch estimated the city would receive about USD5.8 billion in overseas remittances this year.

Vietnam recorded USD12.25 billion in overseas remittances last year, slightly up from USD12 billion in 2014, according to data released by the central bank.