Directive No. 23/LĐ-CT Regarding the Reception of Overseas Vietnamese Returning to the Country

DIRECTIVE

OF THE MINISTRY OF LABOR NUMBER 28/LD-CT ON DECEMBER 15, 1959
REGARDING THE WELCOME AND RECEPTION OF VIETNAMESE OVERSEAS RESIDENTS RETURNING TO THE COUNTRY

THE MINISTER OF LABOR

Respected Sirs: Directors, Heads,

Heads of Departments of Labor Offices, Departments, and Labor Rooms.

Based on the results of negotiations between us and Thailand, and between us and the French General Representative in Hanoi, from January 1960 to nearly three years later, there will be over 70,000 overseas Vietnamese residing in Thailand, New Island, New World, and South America returning to the country.

Overseas Vietnamese are mostly working people who were oppressed, exploited, and forced to leave their homeland and country, thus they very much hope for an independent motherland to return and contribute to building the nation: although living far from the motherland, overseas Vietnamese always maintain close unity, with a spirit of brave struggle, wholeheartedly supporting the revolution and contributing significantly to the national resistance cause.

The desire of overseas Vietnamese to return and build the motherland is entirely justified. The Party, Government, and our people have the responsibility to welcome overseas Vietnamese back to the country warmly and enthusiastically.

This issue is very important, affecting many aspects both domestically and internationally. The Council of Ministers has issued a resolution on the policy of welcoming overseas Vietnamese and assigned tasks to all levels and sectors.

In terms of organization, the Government has decided to establish the Central Overseas Vietnamese Committee, with the Ministry of Labor being a member of this committee.

AT At the local level, the administrative committees of regions, cities, and provinces are responsible for the entire reception work of overseas Vietnamese. Based on the reception tasks of the locality, the administrative committee will assign specific tasks to the labor agencies.

Among the entire reception work, the issue of solving stable employment and living conditions for overseas Vietnamese is the most important, with many difficulties and complexities.

Specifically for the Labor sector, to implement the resolution of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry issues the following directive to guide some points for the Labor Departments, Offices, and Rooms to base on and implement:

1. Assist the Committee in gathering requests for workers and laborers, the capacity to receive overseas Vietnamese of various sectors, help, urge, and inspect facilities, factories, construction sites, prepare reception plans, arrange work, and solve employment for overseas Vietnamese. Inspect the use and implementation of government policies towards overseas Vietnamese.

2. Local labor agencies have the task of assisting the Committee in arranging work for overseas Vietnamese with specialized professions brought back by sectors and people with professions requesting to return to the locality, which the labor agency studies and arranges appropriately; solve employment for overseas Vietnamese distributed to the locality.

3. Monitor the number of overseas Vietnamese distributed to the locality. It is necessary to grasp the number of overseas Vietnamese at each facility, their business and living conditions, the use by various sectors, and the ideological situation of overseas Vietnamese to promptly reflect difficulties in living, whether the use is reasonable, report to the Committee for resolution and feedback to the Ministry.

It is necessary to promptly draw lessons from each distribution phase and feedback to the Ministry to draw general lessons.

4. In terms of organization, it is necessary to assign staff responsible for this work, monitor from start to finish, and avoid changing staff continuously so that staff can follow up consistently.

The above are some points regarding the tasks of local labor agencies. As for the plan to prepare for reception and solve employment for overseas Vietnamese, it will be arranged by the Committee based on the government's policy and the overall plan of the Central Overseas Vietnamese Committee. Therefore, labor agencies should base their tasks on the Committee's work plan. Regarding the professional aspects of the Labor sector, if anything is needed later, the Ministry will issue a circular to guide.

The issue of welcoming overseas Vietnamese, especially the issue of solving employment and stabilizing living conditions for overseas compatriots, has a very significant meaning. The Ministry hopes that directors, heads of departments, and heads of labor rooms at localities will recognize the importance of the issue, study and set plans to assist the Committee in thoroughly implementing the government's policy and plan.