2026 Guangxi Pingxiang China-Vietnam Border Tourism Festival kicks off to promote China-Vietnam cultural tourism cooperation

China News Service, Pingxiang, Guangxi, September 23 (Yu Jing) The 2026 Guangxi Pingxiang China-Vietnam Border Tourism Festival opened on the 22nd at the Friendship Pass Scenic Area in Pingxiang City, Chongzuo, Guangxi. With the theme of "A City at a Thousand-year-old Gate and a Happy View of ASEAN", the event invited guest representatives from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and other ASEAN countries to gather at the border to reaffirm friendship and discuss cooperation opportunities.

Pingxiang, located on the China-Vietnam border, is an important node city for China's opening up and cooperation with ASEAN. It is connected by mountains and rivers, geographically close, and culturally connected with Vietnam. Since the tourism festival was held for more than 30 years, it has expanded into one of the important platforms for ASEAN, integrating culture and tourism integration, economic and trade negotiations and other fields.

This year is the launch year of the "China-Vietnam Tourism Cooperation Year" from 2026 to 2027, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of Pingxiang. The tourism festival is based on the local unique border location advantage and the cultural heritage of China-Vietnam integration. It has 11 multi-cultural activities, including the opening ceremony, the China-Vietnam Border People's Gala Gala, hundreds of travel agencies from China and Vietnam entering Chongzuo to step on the line, and the "Hundred Vehicles Crossing the Border, Thousands of Vehicles Cycling" China-Vietnam Border Customs Tour, covering three major sectors: cultural tourism, sports exchanges, and commerce.

The picture shows the 2026 Guangxi Pingxiang China-Vietnam Border Tourism Festival opening at the Friendship Pass Scenic Area, with Chinese and Vietnamese tourists watching artistic performances. Photo by Yu Jing

Vietnam’s inbound tourism has gradually shifted from traditional sightseeing to family tours, self-driving tours and other forms. Nguyen Thi Huong, a motorcycle riding enthusiast from Hanoi, Vietnam, said that she followed the Vietnamese team and entered China on a motorcycle for the first time, and planned to visit Chongzuo and Nanning. She said that as friendly exchanges between Vietnam and China continue to deepen, short-term travel to China is favored by many Vietnamese tourists.

Du Jialing, director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Ruili City, Yunnan Province, who was invited to Pingxiang for exchanges, said that Ruili and Pingxiang are both important port cities in the southwest of China. This time, Ruili brought the Munao Zongge of the Jingpo ethnic group, which carries thousands of years of cultural heritage, to the event to promote exchanges and cultural exchanges between the two places.

The picture shows a Vietnamese motorcycle fleet traveling into China from the Friendship Pass Scenic Area. Photo by Yu Jing

Huang Chaohui, director of the Pingxiang City Culture, Tourism, Sports, Radio, Film and Television Bureau, said that this event aims to let more people know about Pingxiang, transform the results of cross-border promotion, promote the integration of cultural and tourism industries, increase the income of border residents, stabilize the border, and allow the people to share the dividends of development.

In addition, this tourism festival also held a centralized signing ceremony for China-Vietnam cooperation projects, involving a total of 20 Chinese and Vietnamese enterprises, covering cultural tourism development, cross-border logistics, business cooperation and other fields, helping China and Vietnam expand cross-border trade channels and continue to activate the port economy, festival economy, and flow economy. (over)