Taiwan and Việt Nam have taken a major step forward in their relationship by updating their educational cooperation agreement. This move demonstrates how education and instruction play a fundamental role in a world plagued by instability and uncertainty. Furthermore, it highlights how academic exchanges are becoming a central part of partnerships across the Asia-Pacific region.
The new deal was signed in Taipei on July 11, where Liu Shih-chung, who heads Taiwan’s Economic and Cultural Office in Việt Nam, and Phan Kiều Chung, Việt Nam’s representative in Taiwan, put their signatures on the agreement. Officials from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) were there to witness the signing.
According to statements from these ministries, this update refreshes the 2017 memorandum of understanding and responds directly to the real needs of people in both countries in our more connected world.
The cooperation between Taiwan and Việt Nam goes back quite a while. Taiwan and Vietnam formalized their relations in 2006, and in 2017, they expanded their cooperation with a landmark agreement. These earlier agreements paved the way for various activities such as teacher exchanges, collaborative research, language teaching programs, and collaborations between universities and vocational schools.
Over the past couple of decades, these arrangements have made academic travel and cooperation between the two countries much more routine. Both Taiwan, with its robust technical and vocational training systems, and Việt Nam, with its large student population eager to study abroad, have been able to leverage their respective strengths. The new agreement pushes things from occasional projects to something more structured and lasting.
What is this New Deal?
As MOFA has pointed out, the updated version of the agreement maintains the original idea of both sides benefiting, but it adds new ways of cooperating that fit better with current global standards in education and what employers are looking for.
This helps keep the partnership fresh and useful as technology races ahead, populations change, and countries compete more for talented people. But what does the new agreement cover?
This latest pact reaches into many different areas: it includes collaboration on research, language programs, creating sister-school connections, offering scholarships, and teaming up to develop skilled workers. In real terms, it encourages schools and technical institutes in both places to set up official ties. That means students and teachers can join exchanges, attend workshops, or take short training courses.
The scholarships help make it easier financially for people to travel, and the academic side provides ways to share lesson plans, research approaches, and teaching methods.
One of the most important parts is the focus on developing talent. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education often highlights how its technical and vocational training (TVET) has earned respect throughout Asia because it ties closely to what industries need. By passing on this know-how to Việt Nam, Taiwan is helping create a workforce that can support steady economic progress across Southeast Asia.
Speaking of this aspect, at the signing event, MOE Chief Secretary Lin Po-chiao discussed how countries in Southeast Asia, especially Việt Nam, are enjoying strong economic growth and upgrading their industries.
All this is creating a bigger need for qualified people in sectors like manufacturing, IT, healthcare, engineering, logistics, and advanced services. Lin sees the new agreement as a clear pathway for Taiwan to help ASEAN nations train the experts they need to push their development forward.
The agreement fits with what’s happening across the region. Việt Nam has become one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, thanks to its young population, more foreign investment, and tighter connections to global supply chains.
As manufacturing gets more high-tech, there’s a sharper demand for workers with international training and solid technical skills, which is why educational ties are now essential for economic planning.
Nothing explains this educational relationship better than the increasing number of Vietnamese students choosing Taiwan. Ministry of Education figures show that in the 2024 academic year, there were 39,695 Vietnamese enrolled in Taiwanese schools and universities. That’s 32.22% of all international students there, making Việt Nam the top sending country by far.
Several Reasons to Explain This Trend
Taiwan is attractive to students for several reasons. It has a good selection of programs in both Mandarin and English, tuition and living expenses are reasonable compared to many Western countries, the environment is safe, and the country has a lot of advanced technology. On top of that, specific scholarships and active recruitment have made Taiwan a popular choice for Vietnamese looking for solid higher education abroad.
From Việt Nam’s side, Taiwan is now the fifth most favored destination worldwide for students going overseas, based on 2024 data from its Ministry of Education and Training. That ranking shows how Taiwan’s reputation in international education is climbing and how both countries gain from keeping this cooperation going.
Student numbers aren’t the only sign of progress; schools on both sides are also connected. According to MOFA’s report, Taiwanese and Vietnamese universities and colleges have signed approximately 1,000 cooperation agreements.
Shared research, co-organized conferences, dual-degree options, and teacher swaps are all part of these agreements. These links are vital for raising the quality of academics and research. When institutions pool their resources and expertise, they can better tackle common goals such as technological breakthroughs, protecting the environment, public health, smart factories, and going digital.
The updated agreement should help grow these networks even more by encouraging new ties and reinforcing old ones, especially in hands-on research and fields that cross disciplines.
Language remains a key part of the partnership. Past agreements made it possible to send Mandarin teachers from Taiwan to Việt Nam, which has sparked more interest in learning Chinese among Vietnamese students and workers. Courses on Vietnamese language and culture have become more common in Taiwan through various programs and exchanges.
The new deal supports these efforts further by backing language projects that serve both learning and cultural purposes. Getting better at each other’s languages not only helps with studies but also makes it easier to work across borders and understand different cultures, skills that matter a lot in today’s job world. These programs also strengthen personal connections between individuals, which is widely recognized as essential for maintaining lasting relationships between countries.
How Does This Affect Jobs and Business Links?
This cooperation has real and visible effects on the job market and how schools work with companies. The Taiwanese industry is expanding in Việt Nam, and Vietnamese businesses are partnering more with companies from Taiwan, so there’s a growing demand for professionals who know both sides well, the languages, customs, and ways of doing business.
People who have studied in Taiwan are perfectly suited to bridge that gap, because they can help with investments, and they can share their expertise in technology across borders. By promoting practical training and vocational exchanges, the agreement indirectly bolsters these economic connections.
Matching education to industry needs in this way is part of a bigger shift in how countries approach international education, with greater emphasis on employability and practical skills that can benefit participating nations.
This agreement fits into Taiwan’s overall strategy for engaging internationally, especially through its New Southbound Policy that focuses on building closer relations with Southeast Asia in trade, investment, education, and culture.
Working with Việt Nam is a big part of that, given the country’s size, economic vitality, and influence in the area. MOFA often says that education acts as a kind of soft power, letting Taiwan create lasting ties based on shared goals and respect. By putting resources into developing people’s skills, Taiwan both raises its profile globally and helps the region grow and stay stable.
What Does Việt Nam Get Out of It?
For Việt Nam, teaming up means access to Taiwan’s mature education system and technical knowledge. Experiencing Taiwan’s academic and business settings gives Vietnamese students and teachers valuable abilities and an international perspective that they can bring back home or overseas to support national and community growth. This balance makes the whole partnership more solid and likely to continue long-term.
What Will Come Next?
This updated agreement is another important milestone for the relationship between Taiwan and Việt Nam. The plan’s success depends on its execution, the institutions’ commitment, and the support of both governments.
MOFA officials have said Taiwan plans to keep pushing for cooperation that benefits both sides in many areas, with education remaining high on the list. Talent will be a global goal, and partnerships like this may be key to the region’s development.
In the end, making educational ties stronger between Taiwan and Việt Nam demonstrates that both sides see education as a force for economic progress and a base for a solid and long-term international relationship. By modernizing their agreement to suit current realities and trends, they’ve shown flexibility, vision, and a real commitment to helping each other succeed.
