Following the first wave of investment in the 1990s, a second wave from Taiwanese companies to Vietnam is taking place with a focus on electronics and hi-tech fields.

Vietnam’s market share in US apparel imports is now equal to that of China, which was the largest supplier of products for fashion companies in the US just seven months ago.

Hanoi holds numerous advantages in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), but the important issue would not be the quantity, but the quality of investment.

Vietnam has repatriated its citizens from Taiwan and Japan several times.

The government’s main priority is to protect the well-being of Vietnamese people and foreigners living in the country, said a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Two thirds of the returnees are pregnant women.

The fact that Taiwan held live-fire drills around the Ba Binh islands of the Spratly archipelago of Vietnam is a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty over this archipelago.

The figure saw a sharp increase from the previous estimated loss of VND10 trillion (US$429.1 million) in early February and VND25 trillion (US$1.07 billion) in late February.

Countries that are slow in implementing anti-virus measures, such as Japan and South Korea, have been hit much harder.