Vietnam to welcome Chinese tour groups starting March 15

The Chinese government has decided to add Vietnam 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 Vietnam.

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 Vietnam 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 Vietnam will be one of the countries prioritized for China's resumption of direct air routes with passengers not required to show their COVID-19 negative test results.

Visitors entering the country only need to provide quick test results or engage in two percent probability test, he added.

The Chinese side hopes to continue working closely with Vietnam 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.

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