Tourists take photos on Fansipan Peak in Lào Cai Province. VNA/VNS Photo Quốc Khánh

HÀ NỘI — A new tourism route named "Two Countries - Six Destinations" has been launched, aiming to foster cross-border tourism links between Việt Nam and China.

This golden route connects six destinations, including Kunming City and Honghe County in Yunnan Province, China, as well as Lào Cai Province, Hà Nội, Hải Phòng, and Quảng Ninh Province in Việt Nam.

According to Zhao Ruijun, Secretary of the Communist Party of China Committee of Honghe County, the launch of this route is part of the tourism and cultural cooperation between the two nations. He said it would serve as a stepping stone for the two countries to expand their cross-border tourism ties on a larger scale.

One of the destinations on this new route is Honghe, a picturesque county in Yunnan province.

With the launch of the "Two Countries - Six Destinations" route, tourists can now easily explore the beautiful scenery of Honghe and other destinations in Việt Nam. The initiative is expected to strengthen further the economic and cultural ties between Việt Nam and China.

"Honghe is the epitome of beautiful China and colourful Yunnan," he said. "Honghe has had rapid economic development that has improved locals’ livelihoods, in addition to the excellent ecological environment, national unity and harmony, and extensive opening to the outside world, making it a hot spot for investment and business development."

According to him, tourists to Honghe could visit the Zhicun train station in Mengzi, where President Hồ Chí Minh used to work. Other attractions include the thousand-year-old Hani terraced fields, Taiping Lake Forest Park, Shuanglong ancient bridge and Tuanshan ancient village.

“Tourists should buy a Jianshui purple ceramic vase from the ancient city of Lin'an as a souvenir,” he suggested.

The aerial view of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces. — Photo focusasiatravel.vn

Hà Nội, Lào Cai, Quảng Ninh, and Hải Phòng view China as the leading source of international tourists.

Chinese travellers also prefer Vietnamese destinations, including the four localities in the new route and others with rich cultural identities. The Southeast Asian nation is also an ideal destination for the Chinese who love MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), culinary, and golf tourism, he noted.

Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department Đặng Hương Giang described the launch of the route as an encouraging sign for both countries’ tourism sectors and localities, calling on travel firms of Vietnam and China to actively share information and make the best preparations in terms of infrastructure, products, and manpower to serve tourists early.

“Hà Nội will focus on building unique tourism products, upgrading destinations, technical infrastructure, service infrastructure and tourism environment as the foundation for developing sustainable tourism, attracting international tourists, including Chinese tourists travelling on predetermined tourist routes, thereby restoring and developing tourism in the capital," Hương said.

Another authority of the locality included in the tourism route, Giàng Thị Dung, Vice Chairwoman of the Lào Cai Provincial People's Committee, affirmed that Lào Cai tourism had prepared the best conditions to welcome Chinese tourists with quality tourism services that meet their demand.

According to the General Director of AZA Travel travel company Nguyễn Tiến Đạt, the new tourism route has many advantages, such as lower prices thanks to convenient road transportation.

It is suitable for limited-time tourists who still want to visit many places in China.

He hoped that the two countries' authorities would coordinate to ease procedures and paper issues, therefore Vietnamese tourists would have more options to travel in China instead of just visiting Hekou from Lào Cai Province.

In 2019, China was the largest international visitor market to Việt Nam, accounting for more than 30 per cent of the 18 million arrivals.

In the first three quarters of 2023, China has the second-highest number of visitors to Việt Nam, with more than 200,000 arrivals, after South Korea, with over 800,000 arrivals.

Việt Nam is expected to receive over 8 million international tourists this year. VNS