Refused to accept 1,000 Chinese tourist cars into Vietnam

On the evening of December 15, 2014, the Ministry of Transport issued document No. 989/HTQT to the People's Government of Pingxiang City, Guangxi, China, affirming that it did not agree to receive the above convoy as proposed by the People's Government of Pingxiang City due to insufficient conditions to ensure the safety and security of the convoy.

Caravans are being proposed by China to be introduced into tourism in Vietnam. Illustration photo: baodatviet

Previously, on December 1, 2014, the Ministry of Transport received an Official Letter from the People's Government of Pingxiang City requesting permission to organize a self-driving tourist convoy of 1,000 vehicles and about 1,500 people to enter Vietnam to conduct tourism activities in ASEAN countries from December 11, 2014 to March 2015 on the occasion of the Trade Fair held alternately between Pingxiang City (China) and Lang Son Province of Vietnam for the purpose of tourism and transit to Laos and Cambodia. The number of people and the convoy will be divided according to the time and group of entry into Vietnam.

The Pingxiang government has requested the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport to allow Chinese vehicles to use the International Road Transport License Type F issued by the International Road Transport Management Department of the Youyiguan Border Gate (China), along with the flag sign to enter Vietnam.

In addition, the People's Government of Pingxiang City also requested the authorities at the Vietnamese border gate to prioritize the "green lane" for tourist vehicles, while simplifying procedures, shortening the time for processing entry and exit procedures, and reducing customs clearance costs.

After receiving the Official Note from the People's Government of Pingxiang City, the Ministry of Transport sent a document requesting relevant ministries, branches and the People's Committee of Lang Son province to give written comments.

The Ministry of Transport's viewpoint is to fully support the activities of enhancing the development of domestic and international tourism. However, the proposal with a large number of vehicles participating in traffic in Vietnam needs to be considered to ensure traffic safety and social security.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, said that the number of 1,000 vehicles entering Vietnam at the same time is unprecedented.

“If Chinese tourist vehicles are allowed to enter Vietnam, they will need to have a license to run on pre-registered routes so that Vietnamese authorities can control safety and consider the number of vehicles entering each route because Vietnam’s infrastructure is not yet high,” Mr. Thanh added.

According to Vietnam+