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Door to open to Viet Kieu dual
citizenship
http://www.intellasia.net/news/articles/legal/111252701.shtml
Viet Kieu will be able to seek Vietnamese
citizenship without renouncing existing citizenship according to the Law on
Citizenship, which was passed on November 13, 2008 by the National Assembly and
will come into force by July 1, 2009.
The new law replaces the revamped Law on Citizenship 1998, which only recognised
single citizenship.
"The old law fails to meet the aspirations [of having Vietnamese
citizenship] of Vietnamese people abroad and is unsuitable to the government's
policy for national solidarity," said Tran That, director of the Ministry
of Justice's Department of Judicial Administration.
That said the new law was more flexible and would allow people to have multiple
nationalities.
Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong said many Viet Kieu thought under the old law
that Vietnam recognised Vietnamese citizens as only having single citizenship,
namely Vietnamese citizenship, ruling out dual citizenship.
"Many Viet Kieu want Vietnam to give them Vietnamese citizenship,"
That said.
The new law stipulates that in order to keep Vietnamese citizenship, overseas
Vietnamese must register their Vietnamese citizenship at a Vietnamese government
representative office within five years starting July 1, 2009.
A person's Vietnamese citizenship will lapse if they fail to register within the
allotted time, unless a legitimate reason can be provided.
If people want to return to Vietnam and regain Vietnamese nationality, they will
have to apply for citizenship.
Also under the new law, if a foreigner wants to become a Vietnamese I citizen,
he is required to have lived in r Vietnam for at least five continuous years and
renounce their current citizenship.
However, in special cases, the Vietnamese president can allow a foreigner to
retain his citizenship.
"Once being Vietnamese citizens, they [Viet Kieu] will be able to do
things, including investment activities, as Vietnamese people do under legal
regulations and find it easier to come to and out of Vietnam," he said.
Willibold Frehner, head of Konrad Adenauer Institute in Vietnam, said the nation
would be able to lure more investment thanks to the new law because Viet Kieu
could bring huge capital to the nation. However, question marks remain over tax
issues relating to dual citizenship.
"All disputes will be solved under the international treaties in which
Vietnam is a member," That said.
There are now more than 3.6 million overseas Vietnamese.
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