Chinese tourists arrive in the south-central coastal province of Khánh Hòa before the COVID-19 pandemic. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Chinese Government has decided to add Việt Nam to the list of countries to which tour groups can be conducted starting from March 15, according to Peng Shituan, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Việt Nam.

At a working session with Nguyễn Phương Hoa, head of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Peng said China and Việt Nam enjoyed strong tourism cooperation before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, benefitting the people of both countries and practically contributing to the reinforcement of the friendship.

The process of restoring international tourism is convincing and encouraging, he said, adding that Việt Nam will be one of the countries prioritised for China’s resumption of direct air routes with passengers not required to show their SARS-CoV-2 PCR negative test results.

Visitors entering the country only need to provide quick test results or engage in 2 per cent probability test, he added.

The Chinese side hopes to continue working closely with Việt Nam in ensuring the legitimate rights of tourists in each country, he said.

For her part, Hoa welcomed the Chinese side’s adjustments in bilateral tourism cooperation and said she hopes the two sides will continue to collaborate closely to boost the growth of bilateral tourism cooperation in a healthy and practical manner.

Earlier, in its international tourism resumption plan for group visitors (flight+hotel model) released in early February, China did not include Việt Nam in the list of 20 countries where Chinese outbound tour groups would be allowed to.

Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019, Việt Nam receives about 5.9 million Chinese visitors, a third of the total international visitors arriving that year. — VNS