Language diplomacy has steadily emerged as an important facet of soft power, as it provides a crucial conduit for cultural projection, national identity reinforcement, and bilateral communication. In East and Southeast Asia, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has long dominated “linguistic soft power”—influence a country wields through its language, culture, and educational systems—as a result of its strong network of Confucius Institutes (孔子學院), which promote simplified Chinese and PRC cultural narratives worldwide. While promoting the traditional Chinese character system, Taiwan has endured considerable diplomatic constraints, mostly due to China’s political and economic pressure, which seeks to prevent third countries from forging official ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan’s language promotion efforts have grown into a subtle arena of influence within Vietnam. The Vietnamese government’s official acknowledgment of the “One-China policy,” which asserts that Taiwan is “an inseparable part of China’s territory,” prevents Taiwan from establishing formal language institutes in the country. In Vietnam, public schools and universities offer Mandarin instruction exclusively in simplified Chinese. Traditional Chinese is entirely absent from curricula. To address this conundrum, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO)—Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Vietnam—has taken a pragmatic approach by organizing a variety of practical activities. These include hosting education fairs, offering scholarships, collaborating with media outlets, and working with private-sector partners.
Taiwan’s Evolving Language Diplomacy
Taiwan’s language diplomacy came into the spotlight following the former Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) Administration’s 2016 launch of New Southbound Policy—a strategy aiming to strengthen Taiwan’s comprehensive ties with southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam. Since then, interest in learning Mandarin has been growing among Vietnamese students. Now accounting for 23 percent of foreign students in Taiwan, many Vietnamese students “are increasingly opting to study the Chinese language in traditional characters.” This increase is driven mainly by two major scholarship programs: the Taiwan Scholarship Program and the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship. Both are designed to facilitate study in Taiwan and promote Mandarin learning.
In recent years, Taiwan’s universities have started to offer more specialized language classes as part of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and technical programs. This is especially true in tech-driven fields like semiconductor engineering, biotechnology, and information systems. Vietnamese students looking for a good education that fits global job market demands have found this to be very appealing. Taiwan’s investment in semiconductor technology also aligns with the Vietnamese government’s ambition to develop its own semiconductor industry, positioning Taiwan and Vietnam as natural partners in high-tech collaboration. Some Taiwanese universities, like Chienkuo Technology University (建國科技大學) and National Taiwan University (國立台灣大學), now offer Mandarin courses and professional subjects that include technical vocabulary. This makes Taiwan stand out from other countries’ universities that typically offer only general language instruction.
Taiwan’s appeal is further strengthened by its relatively liberal migration policies for international students. Vietnamese students are drawn to Taiwan because of its flexible post-graduation opportunities, which include internships, job placements, specialized programs, and pathways to permanent residency for highly-skilled international students. The prospect of long-term academic and professional engagement enhances the practical allure of studying traditional Chinese in Taiwan and elevates the perceived utility of the language.
Traditional Chinese Re-enters Vietnamese Culture
At the emblematic root of Taiwan’s approach is the promotion of traditional over simplified Chinese. Traditional Chinese represents a sense of continuity and a “pure” Chinese cultural history respected in Taiwan, which stands in stark contrast to the PRC’s adoption of language reform to strengthen Communist propaganda, relinquish parts of China’s cultural past, and promote modernization. Although Vietnamese public education favors simplified Chinese (largely because it is much easier to learn than traditional Chinese), the use of traditional script has gradually gained traction among intellectuals, and cultural elites, who increasingly appreciate its connection to classical literary traditions. Moreover, younger Vietnamese generations, who are open-minded and fluent in digital culture, are increasingly interested in listening to Taiwanese stories from the island’s own perspective. This symbolically rich articulation of language allows Taiwan to carve out a cultural space that distinguishes it from the PRC, encouraging Vietnamese people to play a part in Taiwan’s narrative.
In addition to Taiwan’s language-focused strategies, its media and cultural initiatives have played an increasingly important complementary role. One notable example is the television series Embracing Taiwan, co-produced by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (外交部) and a team from Vietnam Television, which showcases Taiwanese culture, landscapes, civilians, and educational institutions in traditional Chinese, subtly reinforcing Taiwan’s distinctive linguistic identity. At the grassroots level, Vietnamese influencers—such as Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, who makes videos on her “Hang TV” (越南夯台灣) YouTube channel—help to showcase Taiwanese culture, teach people how to speak Chinese, and explain how to read traditional characters. These platforms not only introduce traditional Chinese but also help promote Taiwan’s culture and society among Vietnamese, especially the youth.
Social media has been instrumental in encouraging foreigners to study traditional Chinese in Taiwan. Online platforms, such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, are important tools that foreign students have utilized to share their experiences employing traditional Chinese. These modern and creative channels help both foreign students and Taiwanese teachers reach out to thousands of Vietnamese learners by bypassing governmental constraints. Since traditional Chinese and culture are easily accessible online via these digital learning platforms, audiences can access online resources offering traditional Chinese instruction and cultural immersion. These channels can accelerate Vietnamese learners’ study and provide them with traditional character Mandarin resources illustrating Taiwan’s identity—an arrangement of traditional culture and modern creativity.
Navigating Challenges Imposed by the PRC
Nevertheless, these achievements are not devoid of constraints. In the absence of formal traditional Chinese language institutes in Vietnam, Vietnamese students and learners must depend on private instructors or overseas travel, which are both costly and logistically demanding. On the other hand, the PRC’s Confucius Institutes are more competitive as they are backed by direct bilateral agreements and large government subsidies, rendering simplified Chinese education broadly accessible. Compared with PRC platforms, those from Taiwan are still modest in both scale and resources. Additionally, Taiwan faces growing language-learning competition from regional countries. The Japan Foundation and King Sejong Institute, well-known language institutions in Japan and South Korea, respectively, actively promote language and culture while providing substantial vocational and scholarship grants for Vietnamese students.
In addition, Taiwan’s efforts to promote traditional Chinese are uneven. Outside of major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, understanding of Taiwan’s Mandarin offerings remains scant. Local universities and students in minor provinces often lack access to scholarship information, application support, or Taiwanese alumni networks. While TECO has been active in engaging with Vietnamese Mandarin learners, it has been unable to carry out a comprehensive outreach strategy towards the Vietnamese. In the nuanced battle to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese, TECO has struggled against PRC-backed centers and platforms.
Despite these shortcomings, Taiwan has opportunities to strengthen its soft power through language engagement. The Ministry of Education’s 2024 initiative, titled “Program to Increase Recruitment of Overseas Chinese Students, Students from Hong Kong and Macao, and International Students,” underlines recruitment in key industries and offers distinctive programs where students can engage in specialized academic tracks that integrate “one year of Chinese language instruction [with] four years of professional courses.” To enhance the efficiency of these initiatives for students from Vietnam, Taiwan should consider several modifications, potentially including pre-departure traditional Chinese digital courses, recruitment centers on Vietnamese university campuses, accessible Mandarin e-learning platforms, and translation of Taiwanese cultural and educational resources into Vietnamese. These customized programs could increase Taiwan’s visibility among Vietnamese youth while depicting Taiwan as a reliable and responsible partner for Vietnam, particularly in terms of language and cultural ties.
Moreover, alumni- or diaspora-led Mandarin clubs and language mentoring initiatives can play a supplementary role in fostering traditional Mandarin learning and grassroots cultural engagement. Taiwan could encourage “language ambassadors”—those who have studied in Taiwan and experienced the nation’s values, lifestyle, and pluralism, among others—to share their experiences of studying, living, and working in Taiwan. Here, Mandarin learning in Taiwan is a stepping-stone for Vietnamese wishing to experience and learn more about Taiwan’s democracy and achievements in upholding values-based principles and socio-economic prosperity. Mitchell Gallagher is accurate when he writes that “Taiwan has already begun earning [soft power] through the people it welcomes. Now, it must empower them to share their experiences and amplify Taiwan’s voice globally.” This would also hold true with “language ambassadors” who could return to Vietnam and share their lived experiences of Taiwan’s society and democracy.
With its New Southbound Policy+ under the Lai Ching-te (賴清德) Administration, Taiwan vows to embrace “Shin-Lai diplomacy” (信賴), or “reliable diplomacy,” to expand its outreach. Fostering educational ties with New Southbound Policy partners like Vietnam should be part of this reinvigorated strategy. Taiwan should collaborate with Vietnamese civil society groups or non-governmental organizations that focus on educational development, such as the Center for Education and Development (CED), the Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS), and the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education (VAPE). For instance, Taiwan’s public and private universities can support bilingual Mandarin-Vietnamese teaching resources for community centers, vocational schools, and nonprofit organizations that are interested in promoting traditional Chinese for the Vietnamese. Beyond greetings, appellations, festivals, and social activities, these traditional Chinese language materials and activities should spotlight Vietnamese culture alongside Taiwanese culture, as this approach could encourage more Vietnamese to learn traditional Chinese.
Ultimately, Taiwan’s promotion of traditional Chinese in Vietnam indicates a quiet but meaningful connotation of soft power engagement. Though constrained by PRC influence and political sensitivities, Taiwan’s adaptive strategy through leveraging scholarships, social platforms, and grassroots mobilization has widened Vietnamese interest in learning traditional Chinese and won sympathy through its organic soft power. If nurtured, Taiwan’s language diplomacy can be far more than a soft power tool: it can serve as a thread connecting cultural traditions, educational cooperation, and a shared identity.
The main point: Taiwan’s quiet, yet strategic, Mandarin diplomacy has strengthened its image as a launchpad for Vietnamese students’ careers. To reinforce its soft power, Taiwan should adopt more proactive measures, including customized language programs, alumni ambassadors, and reinvigorated educational collaboration.
