Millions of Viet Kieu Set to Lose Vietnamese Citizenship on July 1

A 2009 government decree requiring overseas Vietnamese to register their Vietnamese citizenship by July 1, 2014 is coming under criticism as only a small number of eligible Viet Kieu have completed the necessary paperwork to retain it, reports Thanh Nien.

Of the millions of overseas Vietnamese who have not “lost” their Vietnamese citizenship, only 6,000 have registered thus far.

Some, such as Nguyen Thien Nhan, chairman of the Fatherland Front, are seeking an extension for registration but authorities have dismissed the request to amend the 2009 decree.

Minister of Justice, Ha Hung Cuong, said that the low number of registrants may reflect the fact that many overseas Vietnamese live in counties that don’t allow dual citizenship.

According to Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to find out how many Viet Kieu desire to keep their Vietnamese citizenship.

[Thanh Nien]