The overseas Vietnamese community is recognized as an effective distribution channel, influencing Vietnam's export growth and cultural influence globally. In 2016, 4.5 million Vietnamese resided in 109 countries and territories, rising to over 6 million in more than 130 locations today. Overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs have transitioned from small-scale trade to owning major retail centers and wholesale networks, enhancing the availability of Vietnamese products abroad.
Vietnam's initiative to mobilize overseas Vietnamese for promoting goods abroad (2020–2024) has introduced products like cashew nuts, dragon fruits, mangoes, and processed foods in markets such as the US, EU, Japan, South Korea, and China. The focus is expanding to new farm produce and spices.
In 2019, Vietnam's trade turnover was 516.96 billion USD, rising to 786.29 billion USD by 2024. Nguyen Trung Kien, Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, noted the project's role in sustaining export growth and economic development, encouraging the use of "soft power" to elevate the national brand. Nguyen Hong Hue of the Business Association of Overseas Vietnamese highlighted policies enhancing exports and building a global brand through the overseas Vietnamese community.
Vo Van Nam, a Vietnamese expatriate in the Czech Republic, reported a two to threefold increase in Vietnamese products sold through Tamda Group, expanding into over 10,000 retail outlets owned by Vietnamese individuals in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Source: Vietnam+
