2025 is the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Tourism has long defined cooperation between the two nations. Zheng Songwu reports from southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region about a Chinese woman and her Vietnamese husband who are doing their part to promote these ties.
Qin Qiaozhen and her husband, who comes from Haiphong, Vietnam, run a tourism company that helps Vietnamese tourists travel to China. They first met in college while studying in the city of Guilin. Since 2008, they have helped at least 150,000 Vietnamese tourists travel to China through the city of Nanning.
NGUYEN DUC THO Qin Qiaozhen's husband "Vietnamese people are very interested in Chinese history, culture and food, as Vietnam and China are neighbors and have similar cultures. Over the past 20 years, Vietnamese people have been traveling to Beijing and Shanghai through Guangxi. Vietnam has become modern with skyscrapers, so tourists now like to visit ancient towns like Wuzhen and Dali."
Duc Tho says many Chinese tourists visited Vietnam when it opened up, so he was interested in China and came to China in 2003 to pursue his post-graduate studies.
One summer vacation, he worked as a tour guide for Vietnamese people visiting Guangxi and met Qin who was also a college student working in the tourism industry.
QIN QIAOZHEN Founder, Nanning Lyujiale International Travel Agency "I once suffered from acute gastroenteritis, and couldn't walk, and had no one to call for help, as I was alone in Guilin. So, I tried to call him, asking if he was in the city to help. Then he sent me to the hospital immediately, accompanying me for three days there."
They married in 2010, and so far, they've been working with more than 300 tourism companies in Vietnam to bridge China and Vietnam. With their help, over 30,000 Vietnamese tourists have visited China since 2023.
As China's visa free policy continues to expand, the couple hopes cross-border tourism will grow in both directions.
ZHENG SONGWU Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region "The young couple's story showcases the friendly people to people exchanges between China and Vietnam. The two countries will keep opening up and working together to benefit more people under the China-ASEAN community, Zheng Songwu, CGTN, Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region."