Aerial photo taken on January 3, 2020 shows vehicles waiting to pass the port of the Friendship Pass on the China-Vietnam border in Pingxiang, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Photo: Xinhua

Youyi Port, a land border port with Vietnam in Pingxiang, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, resumed passenger customs clearance service from Monday to meet the needs of cross-border travelers and traders, following three years of pandemic-induced service hiatus.

The resumption is based on the latest requirements of the downgraded COVID-19 management by the State Council, China's cabinet, read an official notice by Pingxiang city government.

Group tours exiting or entering China via Youyi Port will be carried out in accordance with the requirements from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under a pilot program governing outbound group tours, according to cctv.com.

Youyi Port is an important land passageway. It is one of the largest land ports in Guangxi, and one of the most convenient land routes connecting China and Vietnam and other destinations in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Currently, the number of international road transport lines confirmed by China and Vietnam in Guangxi has increased from 20 in 2011 to 30 in 2022, among which 17 are passenger transport lines while 11 lines are already in operation, official data showed.

Now, cross-border travel is reviving between China and Vietnam. A manager surnamed Wei at a travel agency in Nanning, capital city of Guangxi, told the Global Times that there is huge potential for China-Vietnam cross-border travel and they have received many inquiries of tour to Vietnam during weekends.

"Travelers can enjoy an international journey within 2-3 days, which means a weekend is enough and people don't have to use their vacations or wait for holidays," said Wei.

She added that before the pandemic, the agency mainly offered a one-day tour between cities in Guangxi and Vietnam's Mong Cai, and a two-day and three-night tour for Guangxi-Mong Cai-Halong Bay.

Although the passenger service has just resumed, cross-border goods exchanges have maintained smooth operations over the past three years.

A logistics agent surnamed Lü told the Global Times on Tuesday that fruits from Vietnam and other ASEAN members are flowing to Chinese market through Youyi Port even during the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Fresh fruit imports included durian, longan and dragon fruit. It took about 4-5 days for fresh durian delivered from Bangkok to reach China," Lü said.