TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Despite the effects of the Wuhan coronavirus, the number of Vietnamese studying in Taiwan has increased by 330 percent over the past three years.

According to Taiwanese government statistics, there were 17,421 Vietnamese students in Taiwan in 2019. Such has been the influx that Vietnamese are now the second-largest student nationality in Taiwan after Chinese.

Even with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Vietnamese students pursuing degrees in Taiwan is about the same as last year, reported CNA. Many of the students are reportedly learning Mandarin with the hopes of improving their employment prospects at Taiwanese companies both in Taiwan and Vietnam.

For example, the news service cited a study abroad company in Hanoi as stating it has about 100 students from various provinces in Vietnam currently learning Chinese in Taiwan. Most are under the age of 20, and they say they trust the quality of language training at Taiwan's higher education institutions.

Many Vietnamese students reportedly find Taiwan's public transportation network to be highly convenient and consider the country an advanced and progressive place to study. They also cite the short two-hour flight from Vietnam and the relatively low cost of living as reasons to choose the country.

As Vietnam’s economy has taken off, an average of more than 100,000 Vietnamese has studied abroad each year over the past 10 years, putting the Southeast Asian country in the ranks of the top 10 countries sending students abroad. The Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) estimates that the total amount spent by Vietnamese studying abroad adds up to nearly US$3 billion per year.