Ban Gioc – Detian waterfalls tourism area officially declared open

Ban Gioc – Detian waterfalls landscape area is the transnational cooperative tourism area between Viet Nam and China with the total area of 400 ha, in which 200 ha in Viet Nam and 200 ha in China. According to the Agreement on Cooperation in Protection and Exploitation of Tourism Resources at Ban Gioc – Detian waterfalls, the competent authorities of the two countries have closely cooperated in developing process and agreed on essential procedures and strictly complied with the three legal documents on the Vietnam-China land border. Mr. Tran Anh Dung, Acting Director of the Ban Gioc waterfall tourism area Management Board said: “After 10 months of piloting, the landscape area has received a stable tourist arrivals. Since September 15^th, 2023, 950 groups of 12,000 arrivals have entered and exited the two countries for sightseeing and tourism.

On the morning of October 13^th, at the Government headquarters, during their meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced the officially operation of Ban Goc – Detian waterfalls landscape area from September 15^th, 2024.

Each day, Ban Gioc – Detian landscape area receives a maximum of 1,000 arrivals, 20 visitors per group. The scheduled transnational tour consists of main tourists attractions in both Viet Nam and China, enabling tourists to gain enjoyable experiences of one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.

On Vietnam side, tourists will start from the foot of Ban Gioc waterfall, going past Sai Gon – Ban Gioc resort to Truc Lam Zen pagoda, then come back the check point to return China. On China’s side, tourists will visit Detain waterfall, shopping street, waterfall viewpoint and view decks before returning Viet Nam.

Customs procedures at the border area are carried out flexibly and civilly by the two sides’ Immigration, Customs and Quarantine forces in accordance with regulations, easing the visiting and experiencing of the tourists from the two countries. The transportation of tourists is organized professionally by travel agencies, and complied with the laws of both countries. Especially, since December 2023, on the basis of regulations and agreements between the two sides, tourists with passports completing the procedures in the morning can cross the border within that day instead of waiting from1 to 3 days as before. Therefore, the number of tourists registering tends to increase, especially, the tourists from China. 

The model of cooperation for tourism development and natural resource protection at Ban Gioc – Detian is significant part of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, marking a huge step in economic cooperation and cultural exchange between the two countries. The operation of the landscape area not only enhances the effective exploitation of the local potential and strengths but also promotes the protection of natural resources, fostering the sustainable tourism development and contributing to a peaceful, cooperative and developing border between Viet Nam and China.