Bicycle tour connects Vietnamese, Chinese provinces

By VNA February 16, 2024 | 04:56 pm PT

A woman walks with her daughter on a street in Ha Giang in northern Vietnam, 2023. Photo by Pham Huy Trung

A two-day bicycle tour linking Vietnam and China was launched on Friday, helping to enhance tourism ties between the two sides and promising experiences for visitors to Vietnam's northernmost province of Ha Giang.

Trieu Thi Tinh, Deputy Director of the Ha Giang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the tour, named "One journey - Two countries", starts at the Tianbao International Border Gate in China’s Yunnan Province, goes through the Thanh Thuy International Border Gate in Ha Giang Province, and ends in Ha Giang City.

In the city, visitors will explore such destinations as the culture and tourism village of Ha Thanh hamlet and Tha hamlet of Phuong Do commune, the March 26 Square, the Provincial Museum, and the Nguyen Trai pedestrian street.

They can also enjoy the cuisine and unique culture of local ethnic groups, Tinh said.

She added that the tour, a new tourism product jointly held by the Explore Ha Giang Co. Ltd. and the Ma Li Pho international travel company of Yunnan, is expected to help enhance tourism cooperation between Ha Giang and Yunnan, increase the number of tourists traveling through the Thanh Thuy - Tianbao international border gates, and offer attractive experiences to visitors.

It is also a suggestion for domestic and foreign travel companies to pay more attention to bicycle tourism in Ha Giang, according to the official.

Ha Giang is home to a number of famous destinations like the Quan Ba twin mountains, Dong Van ancient town, Lung Cu Flag Tower, Ma Pi Leng Pass, Meo Vac market, Hoang Su Phi terraced fields, and Mount Tay Con Linh.

It also boasts long-standing history and culture and accommodates 19 ethnic groups with special cultural identities.

In 2023, it welcomed over 3 million tourists and earned nearly VND7.1 trillion (US$290 million) from tourism, statistics showed.