Tourists have 5 hours to visit Ban Gioc - Duc Thien waterfall landscape area, but the time to complete immigration procedures takes about an hour and a half.
On September 15, the first groups of tourists came to experience Ban Gioc (Cao Bang - Vietnam) - Duc Thien (Guangxi, China), the first jointly exploited landscape area on the Vietnam - China border, including 200 hectares of Vietnamese territory and 200 hectares of Chinese territory.
On September 17, Mr. Ha Kim Cuong (Cao Bang) had 5 hours of experience on the tour. "Having seen the waterfall from the Vietnamese side many times, I was curious about what the waterfall's scenery would be like on the other side," Mr. Cuong shared the reason.
Ban Gioc - Duc Thien waterfall landscape area seen from China.
Mr. Cuong said the tour price on September 17 is 680,000 VND per person, including immigration procedures, one lunch, tour guide fee for the entire route, tourist card and travel insurance.
From 9am, the tour guide picked up Mr. Cuong and the group members at the checkpoint in the scenic area to complete the procedures to enter China.
The first place the group visited was the International Street, where specialties and souvenirs were sold and art performances were held. Mr. Cuong was impressed with the art and music performance of the Zhuang ethnic group in Guangxi, China.
The group then had lunch at a restaurant on International Street with Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. Mr. Cuong preferred Vietnamese dishes such as boiled chicken, fried shrimp, and fried fish. Chinese dishes had a new taste but did not suit his taste. The amount of food was quite a lot, his group of 18 people but only ate a third of it.
After lunch, the group continued walking along the road with coffee shops, drinks, a bread museum, a yogurt shop, and an experience market with a variety of Chinese food. Then the group moved to the location to see the panoramic view of Ban Gioc - Duc Thien waterfall from above and take photos to check in. There are stairs leading down to the foot of the waterfall for visitors to admire from a close distance or take a boat to see the waterfall. The boat ticket price is 33 yuan per person (about 100,000 VND).
After taking a boat to see the waterfall, the group moved to the Coffee Time Farm and to the Prayer Tree, where red pieces of paper were hung with visitors’ prayers. The final destination of the tour was the Bronze Drum Square. There are models of giant bronze drums decorated with patterns.
At 2:00 p.m., the group returned to the checkpoint to complete procedures to return to Vietnam. At around 4:00 p.m., the group arrived at the Ban Gioc waterfall scenic area.
Mr. Cuong said that the Chinese side planned the landscape and provided professional services. The Chinese tour guides were enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Vietnamese culture. However, the price of drinks was 2.5 times more expensive than at Ban Gioc waterfall. "A cup of coffee costs nearly 100,000 VND," he said.
One drawback that Mr. Cuong hopes will soon be improved is the immigration procedures in both countries. In the 5-hour experience, the total time for immigration and exit took about 1.5 hours. "The remaining time for sightseeing and experience is still a bit lacking," Mr. Cuong said. According to him, viewing the waterfall cluster from Cao Bang "is more beautiful, because there is also a scene of golden ripe rice fields."
Tourists should take advantage of the tour from now until early October when the waterfall has a lot of water and can see the ripe rice fields in Cao Bang. By mid-October, people will start harvesting rice. Mr. Cuong recommends preparing Chinese currency in advance for convenient payment when visiting Duc Thien waterfall, because products and services such as drinking water and boat tickets are not included in the tour price.
Ms. To Thi Trang, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Cao Bang province, said that the Ban Gioc-Duc Thien scenic area has been operated on a pilot basis since September 15 for a period of one year. Currently, there are two tour operators in Vietnam: Cao Bang Tourism Joint Stock Company and Saigontourist.
A meal with Vietnamese and Chinese dishes on the tour.
During the pilot period, tourists from both countries can register for tours in groups, with each group not exceeding 20 people. The tour is temporarily only for Vietnamese and Chinese citizens . The stopover time of each group in the other side must not exceed 5 hours, and illegal stay of tourists is strictly prohibited. Tourists from both countries can enter the scenic area using passports (no visa required) or entry and exit passes, according to the Cao Bang Provincial Electronic Information Portal.
Tourists need to register for the tour one day in advance. Tourists can contact the hotlines of the two tour providers directly for advice on conditions and procedures for registering for the tour. The cost of making a passport is not included in the tour price.
During the pilot period, visitors from China will pass through the scenic area on the Vietnamese side following the following route: Checkpoint on the way through the scenic area - waterfall foot area - Saigon Ban Gioc hotel - service and food area - return to the checkpoint to return the card and exit to the scenic area on the Chinese side. Visitors from Vietnam will pass through the scenic area on the Chinese side following the following route: Checkpoint on the way through the scenic area - Duc Thien waterfall - shopping street - stroll in the scenic area - walk along the river in the scenic area - checkpoint on the way through the scenic area - return to the scenic area on the Vietnamese side.
After the first week of opening for sale, the current price of the Ban Gioc - Duc Thien waterfall tour is 790,000 VND per person, said an employee of Cao Bang Tourism Joint Stock Company.
Quynh Mai
Photo courtesy of NVCC
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