China's first cross-border tourism cooperation zone nears trial stage

The Detian-Ban Gioc tourism cooperation zone, the first cross-border tourism cooperation zone in China, has entered the final stage of construction and is ready to carry out a trial run once the novel coronavirus epidemic has been overcome.

The Detian-Ban Gioc tourism cooperation zone was signed to be jointly built by China and Vietnam in 2015. The zone is based on Detian Waterfall in Daxin county, Chongzuo, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which connects with Ban Gioc Waterfall in Vietnam. With 208 meters wide of water of rushing down from a drop of 70 meters, Detian Waterfall is the largest cross-border waterfall in Asia and the fourth largest in the world.

An areal photo of Detian Cross-border Waterfall in Daxin county, Chongzuo, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo by Yu Jing/chinanews.com]

Qin Yimin, deputy Party secretary of Daxin county, noted that both China and Vietnam have done a lot of basic work for the trial operation of the cooperation zone, as well as upgraded tourism products in the scenic spots of the two sides. China has built Detian Waterfall into a 5A-level scenic spot and is stepping up the construction of the China-Vietnam duty-free shopping street, which is expected to be completed and put into use in July this year. Vietnam is also improving the construction of the parking lot and waterfall viewing platform.

After completion, tourists can easily reach the other side to watch the waterfalls after completing simple customs clearance procedures. They can also enjoy the scenic spots within two square kilometers of China and Vietnam. According to the consensus reached between the two countries, tourists from China can pass through the inspection channel directly to Vietnam with a passport or apply for a simple pass permit without a passport.

At present, both China and Vietnam have basically completed the construction of inspection points for the passage of tourists in the cooperation zone. Inspection equipment of the customs and border inspection departments has been installed and is currently being debugged.

According to Wei Hong, deputy manager of Detian Cross-border Waterfall, the scenic area has received about 300 people a day since it reopened on March 8.

"After the trial operation of the cooperation zone, tourists can come to Detian Waterfall Scenic Area to enjoy a one-day tour of the two countries and experience the different folk customs of China and Vietnam," added Wei.