In 2023, the 3,523 studios offering nail care and eyelash extensions across Taiwan generated about NT$3 billion (US$100 million) in annual revenue, a 1.2-fold increase over five years, according to statistics from the Ministry of Finance. At the same time, vocational training courses related to beauty services grew even faster, increasing 3.8-fold.

In the neighborhood around Longshan Temple in old Taipei, some 40 Vietnamese-run nail studios are clustered along a 400-meter stretch. Similar “nail salon streets” can be found in Taipei’s Muzha district and Sanchong district in New Taipei City. Most are run by Vietnamese women.

The head of a cosmetic industry association estimates that among those working in beauty services, “probably one in four will be Vietnamese” in the future. Nowadays the cost of opening a nail studio has fallen to less than half of what it used to be, making it an attractive option for immigrant women from Vietnam. On top of that, many are willing to work long hours, another factor contributing to the rapid growth of the market.

Why have nail studios become an important business for Vietnamese female immigrants? Kao Ya-ning, associate professor at the Department of Anthropology at National Chengchi University, attributes the phenomenon to refugee history after the end of the Vietnam War. When the war ended in 1975, large numbers of Vietnamese fled to the United States. Around that time, American actress Tippi Hedren visited a refugee camp in Southern California. In an effort to help the women become self-reliant, Hedren arranged for 20 Vietnamese women to receive nail care training at a cosmetology school. The skill gradually spread through community networks, and today more than half of nail technicians in the United States are Vietnamese.

This cultural phenomenon later spread to Taiwan as exchanges between Taiwan and Vietnam deepened. As of July 2024, more than 118,000 Vietnamese citizens or people of Vietnamese origin who gained Taiwanese citizenship through marriage were living in Taiwan. Chi Wan-chen, head of Taiwan’s national federation of nail art labor unions, notes that about 20 percent of candidates taking the union’s certification exams are Vietnamese. Nail art courses offered by unions are often fully booked within five minutes of opening registration. “They want to learn and are willing to work hard. Even at 1 a.m., as long as customers show up, they will serve them,” she says.

At the Muzha Market in Taipei, a small shop of about 13 square meters provides a livelihood for five Vietnamese immigrant mothers. For them, working in nail care not only means flexible hours. They can also bring their children to the workplace and help each other take care of them.

Starting a nail care business also has a relatively low barrier to entry. Some technicians visit customers’ homes with their tool kits, others rent space in beauty salons, and some open their own shops. Nail artist Li Chi Yu, who came from Vietnam, has worked in the field in Taiwan for four years. She says that “some people earn NT$70,000 to NT$80,000 a month.”

At her own nail salon, Li adds new colors to her customers' nails. (Photo: Shih-Wei Chung )

Li came to Taiwan at age twenty and originally worked in a factory before learning nail care. She has spent more than NT$1 million on training and overseas competitions, winning nearly 50 awards. She now runs her own studio and also works as an instructor and competition judge. In 2023 she taught more than 70 students, half of whom were Taiwanese.

Chi estimates that about 10 percent of the union’s more than 300 lecturers are foreign nationals, with Vietnamese accounting for the largest share.

Nail art has also become a springboard for Vietnamese technicians to enter international markets. Li is currently helping introduce Taiwan’s nail technician licensing system to Vietnam. Many hope to obtain certification in Taiwan before moving on to Europe, the United States, or the Middle East, where earnings are higher. In Taiwan a manicure costs about NT$1,000, compared with around NT$3,000 in the United States and even more in Dubai.

While carefully painting nails, these immigrant women are also painting their own futures.