Vietnam, China to Link 2 Famous Tourism Sites

Vietnam's Transport Ministry has allowed relevant authorities to open an international passenger transport route, linking Ha Long city in northern Quang Ninh province to Beihai city in China's southern Guangxi province. The special tourist line, expected to become operational in mid-March 2005, will give a boost to tourism and transport services of the two countries.
 
"We're waiting for final decisions regarding the location of bus stations. In Ha Long, passengers are expected to depart from Hon Gai to Beihai and Nanning (Guangxi's capital city) Nanning," Nguyen Minh Bach, director of Quang Ninh's Transport Department, said, noting that the department plans to hold an inauguration ceremony for the route on March 19.

The new route will bring great business opportunities to both Vietnamese and Chinese sides. Several local transport companies will be licensed to exploit the 380-km route, Bach said. The World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay is certainly to receive more Chinese visitors.

In 2004, Quang Ninh, home to Ha Long Bay, recognised as a Natural World Heritage site in 1995 and a Geological World Heritage site in 2000 by the UNESCO, welcomed 2.4 million tourists, including 1.1 million foreign ones with a half coming from China. The province made tourism revenues of some VND1,100 billion (nearly US$70.1 million).
 
Called "Sea Garden," Beihai is the closest port city in China to Southeast Asia, West Asia and Europe. Guangxi's Dongxi Port, one of the most convenient ports from China to Vietnam and China's southeast region, saw nearly 3.2 million people passing through in 2004, of whom 60 per cent are tourists departing from Beihai to Vietnam, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.