During the first day of the two-day conference on September 21, participants were briefed about new policies, foreign investment environment, projects that need investment from both foreign investors and overseas Vietnamese, the administrative improvements relating to customs, immigration, residency as well as the Party and State's policies toward overseas Vietnamese.

They will also discuss advantages and new opportunities that Vietnam will enjoy when it becomes a member of the World Trade Organisation and integrates into the global economy, as well as the potential for overseas Vietnamese to invest in their homeland.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, overseas Vietnamese have so far invested in 1,465 projects in Vietnam under the law on domestic investment promotion with combined registered capital of over US$306 million.

As many as 58 percent of these projects involve in trade and services, 25 percent in manufacturing, and the remaining 17 percent in other areas.

Overseas Vietnamese have also invested in their homeland under the law on foreign investment. They have registered 108 projects with combined investment capital of US$382.8 million.

Overseas Vietnamese-invested projects have created jobs for 7,000 local workers.