An Education Fair sponsored by Taiwan at a university in Vietnam was forced to add the name of China to a banner at the event. A large text on stage read “Introduction to Higher Education in China (Taiwan) 2023” in English, under the Vietnamese text which included the term “Taiwan (China)”. The fair took place at Can Tho University near the Mekong Delta. It was the local government that insisted on the phrasing, threatening to ban the event if China was not mentioned.
If the Vietnamese authorities failed to comply or a similar incident occurred again, Taiwan might not participate in an education fair again and end related exchanges, the mission said. The Taiwan office was told just before the end of the working day that the Can Tho University part of the five-day education tour of Vietnam would have to add the word “China”. Due to practical considerations, as many Vietnamese participants in the fair had already booked airline tickets to travel to Can Tho, the office decided to go ahead with the new banner. However, as soon as opening ceremony finished, the mission ordered its education officials to remove it from the stage. While it is usual for state-controlled media in Vietnam to describe Taiwan as part of China, this event should have been different because it was entirely funded by Taiwan.
