7,000 Chinese tourists travel to Vietnam by charter train

According to information provided to the Traffic Newspaper, the Vietnam Railways Corporation stated that on November 21st, the railway welcomed 400 Chinese tourists who entered Vietnam via the Lao Cai International Border Gate by road and boarded trains to continue their journey to Hanoi station.

From Hanoi station, the group will travel by train to destinations such as Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan, and Ho Chi Minh City. Afterwards, they will return to Lao Cai to enter China via a land border crossing, concluding their 13-day train tour.

A group of Chinese tourists at Lao Cai train station.

This is the largest group of Chinese tourists to travel by train since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, and also the first charter train trip under the cooperation program between the Lao Cai Department of Tourism and the railway.

Notably, this group of tourists is just one of 16 railway charter groups that have signed cooperation agreements with travel and tourism companies to organize tours in 2024, with a total of approximately 7,000 passengers. Of these, 12 groups will travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and back, and 4 groups will depart from Lao Cai.

Chinese tourists can enter Vietnam through the Mong Cai, Dong Dang, and Lao Cai border gates, and then travel by boat to visit famous tourist destinations in Vietnam.

A representative from the Vietnam Railway Transport Joint Stock Company added that the Chinese tourist market in Vietnam is very large, with approximately 3 million visitors per year, ranking second after South Korean tourists.

Railways are working closely with tourism and travel agencies to tap into this potential market with various transportation products on railway lines, especially charter trains.

For example, in coordination with China Railways, they organize charter trains with a gauge of 1,435mm from China Railways to Vietnam Railways via the Dong Dang International Railway crossing and run deep into the Vietnamese interior to Ha Long station; or run to Gia Lam station, from where they transfer to Vietnamese trains with a gauge of 1,000mm to other provinces.

Visitors can also enter through land border crossings, take a direct Vietnamese train from Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong, travel from Hai Phong to Ha Long Bay by land and vice versa, then continue by train back to China or travel further to southern provinces.

“Currently, Chinese tourists mainly travel by charter train, sightseeing during the day and sleeping on the train at night to save time and hotel costs. In the future, the railway will coordinate with travel agencies to organize more experiential services on trains, such as providing local products, group activities, and entertainment like music and dancing… in communal carriages to attract more passengers,” said a representative of the Vietnam Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, adding that Vietnam Railways is also proposing that China Railways resume international passenger train services to facilitate regular travel between the two countries.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/7000-khach-trung-quoc-du-lich-viet-nam-bang-tau-hoa-thue-chuyen-192241124105150155.htm