Following the program introducing Vietnamese Culture and Tourism in Chongqing, China in early November, with the participation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chongqing city leaders, recently in Hanoi, the program introducing Chongqing City Culture and Tourism, China with the theme "Hello! Chongqing" took place.
The event was organized by the Vietnam - China Cultural Exchange Club in coordination with the Chinese Cultural Center in Hanoi and the Chongqing International Cultural and Tourism Exchange Center.
This activity of promoting art and people-to-people exchange through culture and tourism is part of the policy of implementing the Joint Statement between Vietnam and China, aiming to enhance understanding between the people of the two countries, contributing to consolidating public opinion, building a more solid social foundation, and jointly promoting the implementation of "Building a Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future".
Speaking at the program, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam Trinh Dai Vy affirmed that China and Vietnam are jointly moving towards the “six more” goals under the strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two countries. The goals include upholding the spirit of solidarity and friendship, firmly supporting each other, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, actively expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and laying a solid social foundation for the development of China-Vietnam relations.
Mr. Trinh Dai Vy emphasized that tourism cooperation is an effective way to enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two sides. Since the beginning of 2024, tourism cooperation between the two countries has recovered rapidly.
According to a report by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, in the first 10 months of 2024, the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam was about 3.01 million, an increase of 230.4% over the same period last year.
This is largely due to the extensive cultural and tourism promotion and exchange activities between the two sides. For example, Chongqing has established friendly cooperative relations with Ho Chi Minh City, Cao Bang and Quang Ninh. There are now direct flights from Chongqing to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In 2019, the number of tourists from Chongqing to Vietnam reached 56,000, and the number of tourists from Vietnam to Chongqing reached nearly 63,000, making the two sides important sources of tourists for each other.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, affirmed that the close cooperation between the Vietnam National Tourism Administration and the Chongqing City Culture and Tourism Development Committee on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 has contributed to creating favorable conditions for tourism development between the two countries, increasing the number of tourists between the two countries.
The leaders of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration affirmed that they are ready to coordinate and develop breakthrough tourism programs and projects, bringing tourism cooperation between the two sides to a new level. "We will create the most favorable conditions for bilateral cooperation to develop strongly and sustainably, based on the foundation of mutual understanding and respect," Mr. Ha Van Sieu emphasized.
Mr. Wang Hao - representative of Chongqing Culture and Tourism Development Committee, hopes that the two sides will continue to strengthen cross-border tourism cooperation, build and perfect a sustainable cooperation mechanism with the motto of sharing resources, complementing advantages, interacting with the market and developing together. From there, promote the tourism resource advantages of the two sides to turn into tourism economic advantages, contributing to promoting substantive cooperation in the fields of trade and cultural exchange between the two sides.
Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism, commented that through cultural and tourism exchange events, it will contribute to promoting two-way exchange of visitors.
“I believe that with the cooperation between businesses operating in the tourism sector such as airlines, travel agencies, hotels, destinations, etc., a chain of links will be created to help Vietnamese and Chinese tourists have more attractive experiences. From there, it will promote the relationship between the two countries, as well as promote cooperation in tourism development and cultural exchange,” Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh affirmed.
Within the framework of the program, Vietnamese and Chongqing tourism enterprises signed a cooperation agreement on tourism development. Enterprises from both sides expect that the event will open up many opportunities to develop tourism cooperation between the two sides, improve the quality of tourists and reap many achievements.
Ms. Vu Nam Phuong, Director of Phuong Nam International Tourism and Trade Company Limited, commented that Chongqing is one of the destinations attracting Vietnamese tourists, with tours having many routes such as Chongqing - Wulong, Chongqing - Jiuzhaigou, Chongqing - Xi'an. Vietnamese tourism businesses hope that in the coming time, localities in China will provide better service prices for the Vietnamese market to create favorable conditions for tourists.
