Viet Nam and Taiwan
Viet Nam and Taiwan have been strengthening their relationship in recent years. Two sides are mutually profiting from the cooperation of all aspects, from economy to culture. So as to acquire that achievement, both governments have got to overcome many obstacles and differences. Even though the two countries are different in terms of standard of living, economic progress, political system, yet they still share several cultural features.
Viet Nam’s living standard is inferior to Taiwan’s. Statistical figures prove that most of all aspects related to the cost of living in Taiwan are higher than in Viet Nam. There are many reasons that explain the difference, and one of them is the exchange rate. Right now, $1000 NT is equivalent to nearly 755.000 VND. The figure says it all. Besides the exchange rate, a standard of living can also be assessed through the market’s price. Taiwan’s commodities are more expensive than Viet Nam’s. What’s more, Taiwan’s average salary and minimum wage are higher than Viet Nam’s. These basic reasons tell us that Viet Nam’s living standard still needs to be improved compared to Taiwan’s.
The gap in living standard between Taiwan and Vietnam are due to economic progress. Taiwan is a developed country while Viet Nam is a developing one. While Taiwan is a familiar name in the list of developed countries in the world every year, Viet Nam is trying to reach that goal. Although Viet Nam has achieved a great improvement in the economy since 1986, its government is facing with challenges, which cannot be addressed in a short time. One of those challenges is to increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Per Capita. According to ceicdata.com, Taiwan’s GDP Per Capita reached over 24 thousand USD in Dec 2017, Viet Nam’s GDP Per Capita was only 2,389,000 USD during the same period. Hopefully, this gap of economic progress between two countries will be filled in the future.
Apart from economics, the political system of two countries is different too. While Viet Nam is a Communist country, Taiwan follows Capitalism. While Viet Nam is being ruled by a one-party regime, the power of ruling Taiwan is shared by many parties. Consequently, their ways of running the country are likely opposite. Notably, Taiwan is one of the most democratic countries in the world, of which free speech right is very well protected. Unlike Taiwan, Viet Nam’s free speech right is limited and sometimes is oppressed. In short, this contrast between the two nations is inevitable.
As two countries are different in many aspects, their cultures, nevertheless, are analogous. Firstly, the culture of two countries imbues an oriental spirit. Taiwanese and Vietnamese annually celebrate the same traditional festivals such as the Lunar New Year and Dragon Boat Festival. Obviously, two peoples respect their traditional rites and culture. Besides, they also give prominence to the importance of family and relatives. Secondly, Viet Nam and Taiwan have a distinctively attractive and unique food culture. Food of each country is not only delicious but also various. People can easily enjoy a variety of delicacies from street vendors, night markets to luxury restaurants. Moreover, two food cultures also deeply imbue ethnic identities. To conclude, Taiwanese culture and Vietnamese culture are similar at some certain points.
Taiwan and Viet Nam, although, contrast each other from economics to politics, their cultures are similar. Two countries are like two ends of a spring which are connected to one another by the elastic part of the spring itself, which is the culture. In order to make two ends of the spring close together, people must use force to squeeze it, just as Vietnamese and Taiwanese need to cooperate to efface the differences and to bring two countries closer.
