China to resume tours to Vietnam from March 15

Banh The Doan, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, made the announcement at a meeting Wednesday, Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director of International Cooperation Department at Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told VnExpress.

Hoa said during the meeting, Doan also added that China wants to continue tourism cooperation with Vietnam and ensure the legitimate interests of tourists in each country.

Banh also said that Vietnam – China tourism cooperation before Covid-19 was great, bringing mutual benefits and making relevant contributions to bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

China on Feb. 6 released an initial list of countries that are able to receive group tours from China under a pilot program, which includes six Southeast Asian countries but not Vietnam.

China was Vietnam’s largest international tourism market before Covid-19. In 2019, Vietnam welcomed 5.8 million Chinese visitors, accounting for nearly a third of international arrivals.

HSBC forecast Vietnam could receive three to 4.5 million visitors from China this year, equivalent to 50%-80% of pre-pandemic levels, with China reopening.