ABSTRACT
Since the late 1980s, Taiwan has explored its economic and business network with Vietnam. In terms of foreign direct investment (FDI), Taiwan was the largest investor and has been ranked among Vietnam’s top four until now. Although both countries do not share similar political system, Taiwan and Vietnam have enjoyed long-term partnership based on people-to-people connectivity. This chapter will address how Taiwan-Vietnam ties is formulated, and it will be divided into three parts: First, this chapter will examine the development of Taiwan-Vietnam relations in the past four decades and highlights the driving forces and stakeholders involved in facilitating the closer ties. Given some ups and downs in bilateral ties, Taiwan has been prioritizing Vietnam as its regional partner, which is further advanced by President Tsai Ing-wen’s New Southbound Policy (NSP). It is imperative to understand how Vietnamese people perceive its northeastern partner, which is Taiwan. Second, this chapter will utilize the national survey on the images of Taiwan and Taiwan Business in Vietnam conducted by Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation in 2019 as empirical data. The finding of Vietnamese people’s perception towards Taiwan will be regarded as the evaluation of Taiwan’s practice of soft power in Vietnam. Third, this chapter will pinpoint the prospect of a future blueprint of bilateral collaboration through the framework of Taiwan’s NSP, and it will address the potential challenges ahead. It will conclude by proposing recommendations for advancing bilateral ties between the two countries.
