Vietnamese authorities are looking for ways to help millions of overseas Vietnamese maintain their nationality as the deadline for the regulation approaches, said a spokesman for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Le Thanh Binh, spokesman for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In accordance with the Nationality Law 2008, overseas Vietnamese who do not have valid Vietnamese passports, or who had Vietnamese nationality before the law took effect on July 1, 2009, must re-register with Vietnamese agencies in the country where they reside in order to maintain their citizenship. The deadline for re-regislation was set for July 1 of this year.

However, only around 6,000 out of the total 4.5 million overseas Vietnamese have completed so far. The figure is much lower than was expected.

“Relevant authorities are checking into the issues related to the procedures before working out the best solution to ensure the legal rights and benefits for overseas Vietnamese communities,” Spokesman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Hai Binh noted.

Dr. Nguyen Quoc Vong, an overseas Vietnamese living in Australia, said that all overseas Vietnamese are aware of their nationality and of their responsibilities to their homeland.

“The regulation that requires overseas Vietnamese to re-register to maintain their citizenship is irrational. I decided to return to Vietnam just to contribute to the national development. If we are not welcomed in our homeland we won’t return,” he commented.

Recently, Nguyen Thanh Son, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, said most overseas Vietnamese do not pay much attention to the requirement for re-registration because they think they are Vietnamese by default.

“They don't want to lose their nationality but keep it freely and naturally without being controlled by burdensome regulations . We’ll propose the removal of the deadline for re-registration and make it an open issue,” he added.