The number of Vietnamese visitors going to China via the border gate of Mong Cai in northern Quang Ninh province in the first 10 months of this year surged 268 percent on-year to 76,410.

The number of local people entering the foreign country via border gates in other northern provinces, especially Lang Son, for tourism and business purposes is also rising, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said on Thursday.

The sharp increase was mainly attributed to less inexpensive tours offered by Vietnamese travel companies and their Chinese partners, and the recent trend of touring foreign countries of Vietnamese people. Prices of a weeklong tour to China by train stand at around US$475.

The bigger number of visitors to China via Quang Ninh resulted in a 180-percent rise in passenger transport revenue of the provincial tourism industry, which was nearly 84.7 billion Vietnamese dong (roughly 5.4 million US dollars) in the first 10 months of 2004, the biggest ever revenue.

Among Asian destinations, China and Thailand are frequently visited by Vietnamese people due to reasonable tour prices, picturesque landscapes, historical sites and good entertainment services. They often tour China's Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, China's mainland was the biggest tourism market of Vietnam with the numbers of visitors rising by 27.6 percent to 646,000 in the first 10 months of this year. Vietnam hopes to welcome some one million Chinese arrivals in the year, the administration said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2004)