Arranged by Vietnam Precision Industrial Joint Stock Company Chairman Lee Yu Chi, led by General Manger Peter Wu, more than 600 Vietnamese employees of the VPIC Group’s Sheng Bang Metal Co., Ltd visited Taiwan on a company trip in groups June 21-25. This was the largest ever tour group from Vietnam to visit Taiwan. A gathering was held on June 25 in Taipei which Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) Minister Wu Hsin-hsing was invited to attend. He said at the event that the spending power of visitors from the ASEAN region is remarkable and that the government is very keen to see compatriots and Taiwan-owned companies bring their employees to Taiwan on vacation to increase the number of visitors Taiwan receives overall, boosting the revenues of travel-related industries.
“This moment proves the close relationship between Taiwan and Vietnam” Wu stated. Tourism Bureau, MOTC, figures show that 38 groups totaling 4700 people were brought to Taiwan for company travel by compatriot and Taiwan-owned companies in Southeast Asia in the first half of this year, from Vietnam, India, Malaysia and other countries. The VPIC is the biggest such tour group so far. He said he believes that, through this visit, the employees were not only able to appreciate the culture of Taiwan, but also felt the warmth of Taiwan. He encouraged everyone to visit again with family and friends, saying “Taiwan welcomes you!”
Lee Yu-Chi mentioned that Taiwan is his home while Vietnam is his second home. He will leave what he learns and gains in Vietnam but will come back to his homeland Taiwan in the end, he said. He thanked all his employees for working hard along with him.
Legislator Wu Kuen-Yuh said that he hopes more people will share the vision and open mind of Lee Yu-Chi and put the spirit of gratitude into action. Legislator Chen Man-li stated when visiting Vietnam she saw many locals working hard to make their business a success and so do many Taiwanese business people. She hopes that there will be more bilateral exchanges following this visit in which a Taiwanese boss brought his Vietnamese employees to get to know Taiwan.
The Sheng Bang Metal Co., Ltd visit to Taiwan lasted five days. The itinerary included Shifen Old Street in north Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake, National Taichung Theater and Fengjia Night Market in Central Taiwan, then Chi-kan Tower in Tainan, and Pier-2 Art Center and the Love River in Kaohsiung.
In support of the New Southbound policy, the OCAC actively encourages compatriot and Taiwan-owned company employees and foreigners to visit Taiwan for tourism and is expecting positive results. The gathering of the tour group in Taipei on June 25th, was also attended by Legislative Yuan Adviser Kao Chien-Chih, Asia Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce President Seven Lee, Vietnam’s representative in Taiwan Tran Duy Hai, and the Deputy Director-general of the Tourism Bureau Chang Shi-Chung, amongst others.
