橫渡惡水:越南人來台灣的秘密旅途

Abstract

2023 年 2 月，14 名越南人從越南北部出發，穿越邊境進入中國，準備從中 國福建偷渡來台灣卻未果，發生了未知的意外，10 人成為台灣的岸際浮屍，另外 4 人至本文撰寫結束時仍下落不明。 台灣對不同的外來者，築起不同的邊界;越南移工是台灣非常想利用的勞力，卻又被定位為較不歡迎的外來者，奮力想穿過為他們設下的障礙，從移工政策、高額仲介費到驅逐法令都是。此案揭露了兩者的碰撞。本文試圖回答案件怎麼發生的，了解越南人的動機和旅途，他們如何在這旅途中，被分類為不合格、必須驅逐的對象。 架構上，本文追溯他們來台灣的旅程，從最初以合法移工身份前來，如何步步走向失聯和遣返，選擇了高風險的偷渡，並成為遺體。最後看台灣政府如何處理這次死亡，以及親友在一個不令人滿意的結果下，如何繼續努力生活。 研究方法上，除了在台灣訪談相關人員，筆者實際走訪多位罹難者在越南的家鄉，並試著走罹難者生前走過的偷渡路線，穿越中國與越南邊境再返台。希望藉此看見，這條旅途並非單純的非法移動，而是政策、結構和歷史交織出來的現象，也藉此拆解那些讓死亡成為出路的邊界。

In February 2023, fourteen Vietnamese people departed from northern Vietnam, crossed the border into China, and attempted to smuggle themselves to Taiwan via Fujian province. Their plan failed due to an unknown incident that left ten of them as corpses washed up along Taiwan’s shores, while the remaining four were still missing at the time of writing. Taiwan builds different kinds of borders for different groups of outsiders; Vietnamese migrant workers are highly sought-after labor, yet simultaneously labeled as less welcome foreigners who must struggle to overcome the many barriers designed specifically for them—from labor migration policies and exorbitant brokerage fees to deportation laws. This case exposes the collision of these forces. This study seeks to answer how this tragedy occurred, to understand the motivations and journeys of these Vietnamese individuals, and to examine how they were categorized along the way as “unqualified” and subject to deportation. Structurally, this thesis traces their journey to Taiwan: beginning with legal migrant worker status, moving step by step toward disappearance and deportation, ultimately choosing a high-risk smuggling route that ended in death. It also examines how the Taiwanese government handled these deaths, and how the victims’ families and friends continue striving to live on despite an unsatisfactory outcome. In terms of methodology, in addition to interviewing relevant actors in Taiwan, the author traveled to the home villages of several of the deceased in Vietnam, and attempted to retrace the smuggling route they had taken, crossing the China–Vietnam border before returning to Taiwan. Through this approach, the study aims to show that this journey is not merely an act of illegal movement but a phenomenon shaped by intersecting policies, structures, and histories—and to help dismantle the borders that turn death into a pathway.