Vietnam-China cross-border tourism is increasingly vibrant

Besides economic - trade - investment cooperation opportunities, tourism exchange between Vietnam and China is also in a period of strong development.

Vietnamese tourists take photos at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Lijiang, China. (Source: Xinhua)

Attraction from neighboring countries

The trip to Yunnan (China) has just ended, leaving Ms. Do Huyen Bich - a Vietnamese tourist, with many new impressions and lingering feelings. Within a week, she set foot in Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La; visited ancient towns, climbed snowy mountains and enjoyed street hotpot.

Mr. Vu Tuan Anh, Deputy General Director of Lam Dong branch, Vietjet Travel Company, when he came to China to survey the tourist routes, exclaimed: "Lijiang is the most beautiful ancient town I have ever been to". Although the business trip has not ended, he has planned to cooperate with Chinese travel companies to promote cross-border tourist routes between Vietnam and China. Mr. Tuan Anh affirmed that he will introduce more interesting places here to Vietnamese customers, and at the same time hope that more Chinese tourists will come to the S-shaped country.

Recently, thanks to favorable factors such as direct flights and simplified visa procedures, Yunnan province has welcomed a large number of Vietnamese tourists, creating an increasingly vibrant cross-border tourism market.

In early 2023, Phuong Duong Ap village in Dali city (Yunnan) became a famous tourist destination thanks to the attraction of the TV series "Going to the Windy Place", attracting many Vietnamese tourists to "check-in". Some shops in the village even hung up signs in Vietnamese for tourists from neighboring countries.

A female employee at a coffee shop in Phuong Duong Ap village said she has never wanted to learn a foreign language so much. Recently, an estimated 1/3 of the shop's customers are Vietnamese, so to communicate better, she is spending time learning Vietnamese.

Since the beginning of the year, places such as Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, and Honghe in Yunnan have become attractive tourist destinations for Vietnamese people.

In the context of increasingly vibrant cross-border tourism between Vietnam and China, the demand for human resources who know Vietnamese is also increasing.

Tour guide Du Dao, a long-time companion of Vietnamese tourists, has clearly noticed that the number of Vietnamese tourist groups has increased significantly in the past two years. Mr. Du shared that one day he had just seen off a group in Hekou in the morning, and in the afternoon he went to Kunming to pick up a new group. Every day he was busy.

“Usually three to four travel companies contact me every day to ask me to lead groups, but I can't handle them all,” said Mr. Du Dao.

Chinese tourists enjoy experiencing Vietnamese culture. (Source: dangcongsan.vn)

Strong growth in both directions

Besides, not only Vietnamese tourists love Yunnan, along with other famous tourist attractions, but since the beginning of this year, Vietnam has also become a familiar destination for Chinese people. Cross-border tourism between Vietnam and China is growing strongly in both directions.

According to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in May 2024, the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam reached 357,000, surpassing South Korea to return to the position of Vietnam's largest tourism market.

Hekou is the largest land border gate on the Vietnam-China border. From Hekou border gate, Chinese tourists can take a bus to Sa Pa – a famous tourist town in Vietnam.

“Just a short trip away and you can experience the scenery of another country, how convenient!”, a Chinese tourist shared.

Not only Ha Khau border gate, at the beginning of this year, Thien Bao border gate (Yunnan) also started to deploy cross-border tours between Vietnam and China. Chinese tourists only need to bring their identity documents as a passport, then exit from Thien Bao border gate and enter Vietnam through Thanh Thuy border gate to be able to explore Ha Giang province.

There are currently many cross-border tourist routes from Chau Van Son (China) - where visitors can experience the primeval forest, immerse themselves in the life of riverside people, visit the Dong Van stone plateau or enjoy Vietnamese-style fish hotpot and filter coffee on the boat.

Mr. Trieu A Phong, General Director of Ma Lat Pha International Travel Company, said that it only takes half an hour by bus from Thanh Thuy border gate to Dong Van stone plateau, and on the way, tourists can also admire the countryside scenery. However, international tourism from Chau Van Son has just begun to develop and is still new, hoping that in the future more and more tourists will come here to experience it.

The Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism said that the strong development of tourism in both directions not only promotes the tourism industry but also deepens cultural exchanges and friendship between Vietnam and China.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/du-lich-xuyen-bien-gioi-viet-nam-trung-quoc-ngay-cang-soi-dong-283332.html