HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam and Chinasought to develop tourism cooperation at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City onSeptember 6 as part of the 14th International Travel Expo (ITE).

The event was co-organised by the Ministry ofCulture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism ofChina, and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam.

More than 200 representatives from Vietnameseand Chinese travel agencies, airlines and localities participated in thefunction.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism NguyenNgoc Thien said Vietnam and China have favourable conditions to boostcooperation in tourism.

The two countries’ travel agencies have signedagreements to promote collaboration in this field, he noted.

The two sides have regularly held forums anddialogues to facilitate the travelling of tourists and improve the efficiencyof tourism activities, as well as enable businesses to cooperate on the win-winbasis.

Vietnam and China have also worked together tomanage low-cost tours, ensure security and safety of destinations, and developnew products to meet the diverse demand of the market.

Charge d'affaires of the ChineseEmbassy in Vietnam Yin Hai Hong said tourism has become the mostdirect and effective way to study Vietnamese culture, land and people.

Tourism plays an indispensable role in enhancingmutual understanding and friendship between Vietnamese and Chinese people, sheadded.

She hoped the two countries will continueexchanging ideas on such issues as customs clearance, designing tours, makinguse of tourism resources, and coping with emergency cases, as well as establisheffective cooperation mechanisms and planning schemes for tourism activities.

Director General of the Vietnam NationalAdministration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Van Tuan said there is a considerableroom for Vietnam and China to develop tourism cooperation, thus contributing tothe reinforcement of the bilateral friendship.

He noted that China is among the leading tourismmarkets in Vietnam and vice versa.

At the seminar, businesses shared experience inpromoting tourism activities, including the diversification of tourism productsof Vietnamese and Chinese localities.

In 2017, Vietnam welcomed 4 million Chinesetourists, making up around 30 percent of the nearly 13 million foreigners tothe Southeast Asian country.

China has always been an important tourismmarket of Vietnam over the past few years.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of Vietnamese havepicked China as their favourite destination. According to the UN World TourismOrganization, 3.1 million Vietnamese travelled to China in 2016.-VNA