Nearly 700 overseas Vietnamese gathered at a resort in Ho Chi Minh City Sunday as part of an event hosted by the HCMC Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese

Nearly 700 overseas Vietnamese Sunday gathered at the Lang Toi Resort in Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the coming Ky Suu Lunar Year (Year of the Ox), which will start from January 26.

Chairwoman Luong Bach Van of HALOV said unofficial statistics showed overseas Vietnamese had invested around VND40 billion (US$2.24 million) in HCMC in 2008.

They had also donated VND6 billion ($336,000) for charity programs last year, she said.

Van said the association would cooperate with other associations for overseas Vietnamese to facilitate major projects in HCMC.

In related news, the association for the support of disabled and orphaned children, together with the city’s District 3 People’s Committee and Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Sunday handed over Tet gifts valued at more than VND552 million ($31,000) to 2,500 disadvantaged children.

Reported by Minh Nam