China-Vietnam border port sees booming cross-border tourism

Hekou Port, located on the border between southwest China's Yunnan Province and Vietnam, has witnessed booming cross-border travel spurred by convenient transportation and a streamlined visa process.

As the largest port in the Yunnan section of the China-Vietnam border, the Hekou Port is welcoming thousands of tourists each day during the summer holiday.

To deal with the surge in visitors traveling through the border, a new facility for easier customs clearance at the Hukou port was put into trial operation in May, designed to handle 15 million cross-border passengers per year.

"I think the entry procedure for people traveling from Vietnam's Hanoi to China's Hekou is streamlined, which makes me feel convenient," said a visitor from Vietnam.

In addition to the streamlined visa procedure, the tourism boom has been fueled by convenient transportation.

In the past, visitors who visited Kunming, capital city of Yunnan Province, had to arrive at the Hekou port early in the morning by bus before transferring to other buses, which would take them nearly a day to get the destination, according to a tour guide from a Vietnamese travel agency.

However, the high-speed railway has greatly reduced travel time a few hours, providing tourists with a more convenient experience.

"To travel by high-speed train makes me feel more comfortable. Many Vietnamese travel agencies and travelers are satisfied about the services on train," said the tour guide. More than 12,000 people from over 700 Vietnamese tourist groups have traveled by high-speed trains after entering the Hekou Port since Aug 19, setting new record.

Many tourists would start their travels from Hekou Port and then get on trains to other destinations. Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La are among the most popular destinations for Vietnamese tourists.

In recent years, one-day tours to border prefectures including Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture have seen soaring popularity among Vietnamese tourists. These tours offer engaging activities such as supermarket shopping, savoring local delicacies, and enjoying leisurely coffee moments, catering to Vietnamese visitors eager to immerse themselves in Chinese customs.

"We love to travel to Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. It is very popular for tourists from Vietnam," said a tour guide from Vietnam.

China-Vietnam border port sees booming cross-border tourism

China continues to lead the world in logistics demand, with a growing industry now focused on improving quality and efficiency, according to an official with the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) at an academic conference on Saturday.

The 2024 China Logistics Academy Annual Conference, held from Friday to Sunday in Langfang City of north China's Hebei Province, brings together experts and scholars in the logistics sector for discussions across 11 sub-forums.

He Liming, head of the CFLP, told the conference that China remains the world's largest logistics market, with the sector seeing considerable growth.

The country is home to over 10,000 A-level logistics companies and 2,700 logistics parks spanning over 100,000 square meters. The emerging system of logistics corridors, hubs, and networks is streamlining operations and fostering greater efficiency in the sector.

Companies are increasingly embracing new technologies and business models, with smart logistics leading the charge in shaping the future of the industry.

In the first three quarters of this year, the ratio of social logistics costs to GDP stood at 14.1 percent, reflecting a 0.1 percentage point drop from the first half of the year and a 0.2 percentage point decrease compared to the same period last year, signaling a steady decline in overall logistics costs.

"Overall, China's logistics industry is transitioning from rapid expansion in scale to a new phase centered on enhancing quality and efficiency. This shift requires the development of new quality productive forces to meet and create new demands. By adjusting industrial structure and promoting reforms, China aims to reduce logistics costs nationwide and accelerate the transition from a logistics giant to a global logistics leader," He said.

He also pointed out that China's vast logistics industry provides essential support for developing new quality productive forces. In recent years, smart logistics has surged, driving the emergence of a number of prominent digital logistics platforms. For example, China currently has over 3,000 online freight platforms, illustrating the deep convergence of the digital and real economies fueled by the integration of massive data and diverse application scenarios.

China remains largest global logistics market, shifts focus to efficiency