Cruise ship Piano Land carrying about 1,000 tourists from China docks at Hạ Long International Cruise Port. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG NINH — Chinese tourists are returning to the northern coastal province of Quảng Ninh in significant numbers after years of decline due to COVID-19 pandemic, signaling a robust recovery for the Vietnamese travel destination as new air, sea and land routes have been opened to connect the locality with its largest international market.

Before the pandemic, Chinese visitors to Quảng Ninh accounted for 25 per cent of all Chinese arrivals in Việt Nam and 40 per cent of all international visitors to the province. However, border closures and travel restrictions brought that momentum to a halt.

Large-scale events like such as a MICE tour of nearly 1,000 Chinese visitors traveling by land, the Beihai–Hạ Long cruise routes, and the charter flights between Shenzhen (China) and Vân Đồn (Việt Nam) have been a robust signal to the local tourism, which is striving to welcome 1.25 million international arrivals in Quarter 4 to complete its yearly target of 21.2 million visitors, including 4.09 million foreigners. 

The People’s Committee of Móng Cái 1 Ward said in the first nine months of 2025, over 5.25 million people crossed the border there. The locality now hosts 26 travel companies, 127 accommodation facilities, and more than 450 restaurants. Local authorities are partnering with nearby communes such as Vĩnh Thực, Hải Sơn, and Móng Cái 2 to develop diverse tour routes and night-time economic activities aimed at attracting more visitors, especially from China.

Border localities are stepping up coordination to promote tourism, with China’s Fangcheng preparing infrastructure and inaugurating an expressway to Nanning province, and Quảng Ninh planning to upgrade national highway No.18C next year. Joint tour packages now seamlessly connect attractions from Dongzhong town, wine village, and Naliang ancient town on the Chinese side to Cao Sơn flower garden and Khê Văn Waterfall in Quảng Ninh’s Hoành Mô commune.

Statistics showed that daily traffic at the Hoành Mô – Dongzhong border gate is around 100 Chinese tourists. The number reaches about 1,000 per month, with peaks of up to 1,600 in August and during Việt Nam’s National Day holiday in early September.

Following a 10-year hiatus, Quảng Ninh will welcome MICE tourists on Beihai–Ha Long cruises in the end of November. In mid-October, a cultural tourism investment group from China’s Guangxi province conducted a field survey to promote two-way cruise tourism along this route. Regular operations of three trips per week are expected to start in November 2025, expanding travel experiences and boosting tourist flows.

Meanwhile, Vân Đồn International Airport will launch regular charter flights linking Shenzhen’s Bao'an International Airport from November 1. Flights will depart Shenzhen at 18.10 and land in Vân Đồn at 20.10, with return flights departing at 21.10 and arriving at midnight (Việt Nam time). The service will operate on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of Chinese tourists staying overnight in Quảng Ninh has grown by an average of 126.5 per cent annually over the past five years, with Móng Cái International Border Gate alone welcoming about 300,000 Chinese visitors each year.

By the end of this year, the province will host some 350,000-400,000 Chinese visitors, opting for three- or four-day tours with high-end services and accommodations at four- to five-star hotels. Besides, it will welcome nine Beihai – Hạ Long cruises during the 2025-2026 cruise season. VNA/VNS