Chinese tourists take photos in front of the Independence Palace in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

BEIJING — The Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), in coordination with relevant agencies, launched the 2025 Việt Nam tourism promotion and business connection programme on October 21 in Beijing.

The event kicks off a series of promotions in Beijing, Chongqing, and Chengdu to mark the 75th anniversary of Việt Nam–China diplomatic relations (1950–2025) and the Year of Việt Nam-China Humanistic Exchange 2025. It aims to strengthen bilateral friendship, boost cultural and tourism cooperation, increase tourist exchanges, connect businesses, and showcase Việt Nam as a welcoming country to Chinese visitors.

VNAT Director General Nguyễn Trùng Khánh highlighted the long-standing tourism and cultural cooperation between the two countries. He noted that the 2023–2027 Cooperation Plan on Culture and Tourism, signed during then Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyến Phú Trọng’s visit to China in 2022, provides a comprehensive, oriented and intensive cooperation framework. Since 2018, annual ministerial meetings and regular bilateral activities have helped Việt Nam-China tourism cooperation become one of the highlights in the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Khánh emphasised that both sides will continue ministerial-level exchanges, jointly promote sustainable tourism, organise destination events, and support business, media, and expert exchanges. Việt Nam seeks cooperation on service quality, infrastructure, human resources, and digital transformation to create a smart, safe, and sustainable tourism environment. VNAT also aims to develop resort, golf, cultural, culinary, and MICE tourism to further increase bilateral tourist flows, he added.

Counsellor Ninh Thành Công at the Vietnamese Embassy in China praised the programme for introducing Việt Nam's tourism policies and attractions, expressing confidence that tourism cooperation between the two nations will continue to recover and thrive.

Deputy Director-General of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism Zheng Fang noted that recent multi-sector cooperation has made cultural and tourism exchanges a key bridge for mutual understanding and strengthening traditional friendship. Việt Nam's rich history, culture, landscapes, and customs have drawn growing numbers of Chinese visitors, and she hoped the event would further boost cooperation between Beijing and Vietnamese localities.

China remains Việt Nam's top outbound tourist market, with over 5.8 million visitors annually, accounting for around 30  per cent of international arrivals to Việt Nam. In 2024, nearly 3.74 million Chinese tourists visited Việt Nam, recovering over 64  per cent of pre-COVID levels, with nearly 3.9 million arrivals in the first nine months of this year.

Việt Nam is also among the top five overseas markets sending tourists to China, highlighting strong mutual demand and the potential for further tourism development. — VNA/VNS