Detian waterfall forms a rare "golden waterfall" under the sun light due to the soared water volume. May 26, 2022. Photo:China News Service

China's first cross-border tourism attraction, the Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall, is set to be launched in September in a 12-month test operation. Sightseers are allowed to enjoy the natural beauty from both the Chinese and Vietnamese sides during the test run.

For Chinese tourists who want to travel to the Vietnamese side of Detian waterfall, during the test operation, they will need to book in advance and enjoy the natural wonder attending a group tour, and they will need to pass through the customs at the cross-boundary crossing. The size of a tour group is limited to between five to 20 people. 

Cross-border excursions are limited to five hours, and tourists will be prohibited from staying overnight, and travelers can go about two kilometers deep into Vietnam to view the waterfall. 

In the first three months of the trial operation, there will be only 10 cross-border tours allowed every day, with a cap of 200 visitors, and starting from the fourth month, the ceiling will rise to 500 visitors.

China and Vietnam agreed on the one-year trial operation, taking into consideration that the cooperative operation between the two countries needs to be properly organized, in order to to lay a solid foundation for the waterfall project's formal operation in the future, Ban Huaqin, deputy director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said on Monday.

On November 5, 2015, the Chinese and Vietnamese governments signed a cooperative agreement on protecting and utilizing tourism resources surrounding the Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall, which aims to promote tourism and cross-border personnel exchange.

Cross-border sightseeing will open up a new way of tourism, which, if proves successful, should have the opportunity to be promoted in other border areas. Deng Zongde, a research fellow with the Tourism Research Center of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to data released by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, in the first half of 2023, the number of Chinese tourists going to Vietnam reached 557,000, one fourth of the level in 2019. 

Global Times