The Ultimate Waterfall Wonder: Vietnam and China’s Landmark Tourism Collaboration.

After a period of pilot implementation from September 15, 2023, until now, a official operation ceremony of Ban Gioc Waterfall Scenic Area (Vietnam) – De Tian (China) was held by the Cao Bang Provincial People’s Committee and the People’s Government of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China) in Trùng Khánh district.

The official operation followed the talks between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on October 13, during the Chinese Premier’s visit to Vietnam.

According to the authorities, after a year of implementation, the pilot operation of the Ban Gioc Waterfall (Vietnam) – De Tian (China) Scenic Area has been maintained, and customs procedures have been flexibly, scientifically, and civilizedly handled by the immigration control forces, in accordance with regulations, facilitating tourists from both sides to cross the scenic area.

In addition, the management board of Cao Bang Geopark shared that during the pilot period, the scenic area maintained a stable number of visitors with 950 groups, approximately 12,000 entries, of cross-border tourists between the two countries.

With the official operation, the scenic area will receive a maximum of 1,000 entries per day, with 20 people per group. The cross-border tourism route is designed to include major attractions on both the Vietnamese and Chinese sides.

On the Vietnamese side, tourists will visit from the foot of Ban Gioc Waterfall, passing by Saigon Hotel and Truc Lam Pagoda.

In China, tourists will visit De Tian Waterfall, the shopping street, the waterfall viewing point from above, and the viewing decks. This cross-border cooperation area covers 400 hectares, with 200 hectares on each side.

The inspection and control of entry and exit at the Ban Gioc (Vietnam) – De Tian (China) border gate have been properly conducted by the Border Guard, Customs, and Quarantine forces, facilitating tourists from both sides; the transportation of tourists across the border has been well coordinated by the two travel agencies, complying with the laws of both sides; and the infrastructure in the scenic area on both sides has been invested and built.

Speaking at the official operation ceremony of the Ban Gioc Waterfall (Vietnam) – De Tian (China) Scenic Area on October 15, Vice Chairman of the Cao Bang Provincial People’s Committee Trinh Truong Huy emphasized: “The cooperation model for the protection and tourism development of Ban Gioc Waterfall (Vietnam) – De Tian (China) is a new model with no precedent.”

The official operation of the scenic area will contribute to promoting tourism cooperation, enhancing friendly exchanges between the local people of the two border provinces, and significantly promoting the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China to a deeper level.

Immediately after the official operation ceremony, two groups of Vietnamese tourists and four groups of Chinese tourists (20 people per group) visited the scenic area on both sides.

According to the plan, the border gate will be open to tourists from 8:00 am Hanoi time (9:00 am Beijing time), and after 2:00 pm Hanoi time, the organization of cross-border groups will be stopped; the closing time of the border gate is 5:00 pm Hanoi time (6:00 pm Beijing time). Tourists crossing the border are not allowed to stay illegally. The visiting time for each cross-border tourist group should not exceed 6 hours. Temporary entry is not permitted for citizens of third countries to the scenic areas on both sides.