Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam
駐越南台北經濟文化辦事處
Văn phòng Kinh tế Văn hóa Đài Bắc tại Hà Nội, Việt Nam
Agency overview
Formed	1992
Jurisdiction	Vietnam (excluding southern regions) ; Laos
Headquarters	Hanoi
Agency executive	Richard R.C. Shih [zh], Representative;
Website	Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam (Chinese: 駐越南台北經濟文化辦事處; pinyin: Zhù Yuènán Táiběi Jīngjì Wénhuà Bànshì Chù) (Vietnamese: Văn phòng Kinh tế Văn hóa Đài Bắc tại Hà Nội, Việt Nam) is the representative office of Taiwan in Vietnam, which functions as a de facto embassy in the absence of diplomatic relations. It also has responsibility for Laos.^[2]

Its counterpart body in Taiwan is the Vietnam Economic and Culture Office in Taipei.^[3]

There is also a Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chi Minh City,^[4] which has responsibility for relations with the southern regions of Vietnam as well as Cambodia.^[2]

History

The Hanoi office, along with its counterpart in Ho Chi Minh City, was established in June 1992.^[5] This followed visits to Vietnam by the Sino-Vietnamese Industrial and Commercial Association (SVICA) and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) in 1991.^[6]

Until 1975, Taiwan, as the Republic of China, had an embassy in Saigon.^[7] However, the embassy suspended operations after the defeat of South Vietnam by the Communist North, which has diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.^[8]

In February 2014, a former Secretary of the Office was investigated by police for reportedly cooperating to take bribes to illegally grant visas to Vietnamese students two years earlier.^[9]