From August 2 to 5, 2025, the group of 45 Vietnamese tourists made the first discovery trip from the old Ha Long City to Binh Lieu to Nam Ninh (China) and some other localities in China through the Hoanh Mo - Dong Trung border gate, traveling by car and high-speed train.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, a tourist from Ha Long ward, shared: In the past, when I was in China, I often travel by plane. This time traveling by car and high-speed train is very convenient. Before going to China, we stayed in Binh Lieu for a day, sleeping in a rammed house, enjoying the Then singing, the Tinh lute of the Tay ethnic group.
Previously, from February 25, 2025, the Vietnam - China local government officially implemented customs clearance procedures for tourists and residents living on the border through the Hoanh Mo (Vietnam) - Dong Trung (China) border gate pair.
The subjects of application include citizens of the two countries with passports, entry and exit certificates or border area certificates.
The customs clearance time is from Monday to Friday every week, in the morning from 8:00 to 9:00 and in the afternoon from 15:00 to 16:00.
The implementation of customs clearance is the result of the meeting program in early spring 2025 between the Secretaries of provinces/regions and the 16th Conference of the Joint Working Committee between the provinces of Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang (Vietnam) and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China). The goal is to promote comprehensive cooperation, especially in the field of tourism and border trade.
Immediately after that, in March 2025, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ninh coordinated with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Changching City (China) to organize a friendly cross-border cycling activity through the Hoanh Mo - Dong Trung border gate, attracting more than 300 athletes from the two countries to participate.
In particular, from July 1, 2025, Hoanh Mo commune was established on the basis of merging two communes of Hoanh Mo and Dong Van (old Binh Lieu district). The commune has 13 new border villages with more than 30km of border. From the advantage of Hoanh Mo - Dong Van Border Gate Economic Zone, the Hoanh Mo - Dong Trung bilateral border gate pair, it is expected to create momentum for economic - tourism development, increasing income for people.
Quang Ninh has about 132 km of border bordering Guangxi Province (China), including 3 main border gates: Mong Cai, Hong Mo and Bac Phong Sinh. This is the only province in Vietnam that has both land and sea borders with China, creating favorable conditions for the development of trade and tourism at the border to be vibrant over the years.
In recent years, Quang Ninh has promoted the development of border tourism and services for both international and domestic visitors, typically the "Scarlet of Border Flowers" Festival in Hai Son commune, Dong Van Commune Jewelry Association...
According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ninh, in the first 7 months of 2025, the province welcomed about 14.6 million visitors, an increase of 9% over the same period in 2024 and reaching 109% of the plan. Of which, international visitors reached more than 2.6 million, an increase of 19%.
In the last months of the year, the tourism industry aims to welcome 8.2 million visitors, with total revenue estimated at nearly VND 27,900 billion. To realize the goal, Quang Ninh is accelerating promotion, expanding markets, and diversifying products.
Currently, localities have registered 148 events and activities, including many programs imbued with the identity of border areas such as Soong Co, Kieng Gio, Golden Season, Hoa So festivals; effectively exploiting destinations such as Luc Hon terraced fields, Khe Van waterfall, Cao Ly mountain, Cao Xiem, Cao Ba Lanh, Song Mooc waterfall.
Exploiting the potential of border tourism is also a solution to help Quang Ninh overcome the low season, build the image of a "four-season destination" with the principle of giving new product incentives and increasing the experience for tourists.
