Chongqing (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called for enhancing cultural and tourism cooperation between Vietnam and China while attending a programme introducing Vietnam’s culture and tourism in Chongqing city on November 8.

The event formed part of the Vietnamese leader’s trip to attend the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit and working visit to China.

It was among a series of activities organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the threshold of the 75th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations and the Year of Vietnam - China Humanistic Exchange 2025.

Agencies and businesses of the two countries discussed measures to foster cooperation in cultural and tourism development and facilitating bilateral travel between their people, helping consolidate a solid social foundation for the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the building of a Vietnam - China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Participants perceived that the two countries’ relationship is now at its prime and has the most favourable conditions to thrive so far, creating momentum for tourism, investment, trade, and people-to-people ties to grow strongly. In the recent past, cultural and tourism cooperation has been flourishing in an increasingly practical and sustainable manner, providing an important stepping stone for bilateral trade and investment ties and becoming a bright spot of their relations.

In 2019, Vietnam welcomed more than 5.8 million Chinese tourists, equivalent to one-third of the number of international arrivals to the country. The number of Chinese visitors has bounced back strongly after the COVID-19 pandemic but yet to reach the pre-pandemic level. Meanwhile, Vietnam is one of the five largest sources of foreign travellers to China, with 7.9 million tourists.

In his remarks, PM Chinh said China is a neighbour sharing the borderline, mountains, and rivers with, and also a traditional socialist and close friend of Vietnam. For the last nearly 75 years, the friendship that features both comradeship and fraternity, nurtured by generations of Vietnamese and Chinese leaders, has become a precious common asset of the two Parties, the two countries, and their people.

Vietnam always attaches importance to the consolidation and development of the friendship and cooperation with China, considering this as a consistent policy, an objective requirement, a strategic choice, and a leading priority in its foreign policy. It keeps in mind the enormous assistance from the Chinese Party, State, and people in its struggle for national liberation in the past along with development efforts at present, he stated.

The PM described cultural and tourism cooperation as crucial for elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and building a Vietnam - China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Highlighting the two countries’ diverse cultural and historical traditions as well as their similarities in cultural development as part of socialism building efforts, PM Chinh noted that Vietnam is actively pursuing a national programme on cultural development.

The leader proposed the two sides beef up collaboration and connectivity in culture and tourism, building suitable mechanisms and policies, sharing best practices, developing cultural and tourism infrastructure, and fostering stronger business connections. These efforts aim to concretise the new aspects of the Vietnam - China relationship that the two countries' leaders have agreed upon.

Acknowledging China as Vietnam's largest tourism market, he urged cultural and tourism enterprises to fortify bilateral cooperation to strengthen the two countries’ link in the fields and implement specific and practical projects conducive to such ties in line with the spirit of tight connection, harmonious collaboration, extensive cooperation, inclusivity-comprehensiveness, and effectiveness-suitability.

PM Chinh expressed his hope and confidence that, with the support from both governments and relevant agencies as well as the efforts of the business communities and stakeholders involved, the Vietnam - China cultural and tourism cooperation will become increasingly practical, effective, and sustainable.

At the event, Vietnamese tourism and transport corporations signed seven memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on cooperation with Chinese partners, aiming to boost visitor exchanges. These documents include the one between Vietnam Airlines and a travel company in China’s Guangzhou province, which eyes bringing 299,000 visitors to Vietnam between 2024 and 2030./.