The first batch of over 30 vehicles and more than 100 tourists from Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou, Shandong, and other regions recently departed for Vietnam through the Friendship Pass border in Pingxiang, Guangxi, embarking on a four-day, three-night tour of Lang Son, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, and Ha Long Bay. It is understood that from the end of this year to early next year, over 150 vehicles and more than 300 tourists will depart for Vietnam through the Friendship Pass border in Pingxiang, Guangxi, for cross-border road trips. This is one of the larger China-Vietnam cross-border road trip events organized by Guangxi since the launch of such tours in December 2010.
The launch of China-Vietnam cross-border road trips has undoubtedly introduced an attractive new product to the market, but the market development over the past two years has not been as robust as the industry and media had initially hoped.
Multiple concerns are holding back travelers
Interviews with tourists who have shown interest in China-Vietnam cross-border road trips reveal that such trips come with many restrictions, and media coverage has not been extensive, leaving many people relatively uninformed. Those who have participated in such trips note that cross-border road travel involves differences in regulations and cultural customs between countries, and while they are interested, they have concerns about visas, safety, itineraries, and costs.
Visa procedures are overly complicated. In a survey on “concerns about cross-border self-drive tourism,” “the convenience of customs and permit procedures” and “concerns about safety in Vietnam” ranked first and second, respectively. This shows that when choosing to travel abroad, tourists are most concerned about whether customs and permit procedures can be expedited and whether they can obtain the necessary documents within a short period. It is understood that in the past, tourists wishing to embark on an in-depth road trip in Vietnam had to entrust qualified travel agencies to handle the customs procedures, which took at least 15 working days. This required tourists to entrust a qualified agency at least one month in advance and provide personal passports, driver’s licenses, and other documents. Many tourists have thus been discouraged. In addition, the procedures for taking a vehicle across the border are even more complex, with regulations stating that the vehicle must be wholly owned by the individual and have an engine displacement of at least 1.8 liters.
Is safety guaranteed? Wang Zhongwei, general manager of the Dongguan Service Center of the Guangdong Self-Drive Tourism Association, stated that in foreign countries where language barriers and unfamiliar roads exist, accidents can easily occur. Moreover, due to certain technical reasons, GPS navigation systems commonly used in China are not usable in Vietnam. Therefore, how to maintain contact among vehicles and prevent issues such as vehicles getting separated needs careful consideration.
Is the itinerary flexible? In previous China-Vietnam cross-border road trips, the “self-drive” aspect only applied between cities, while travel between cities and attractions was conducted via tourist buses arranged by travel agencies. This not only restricted the freedom of travelers to some extent but also made it difficult for them to truly experience the essence of self-driving.
The cost is relatively high. With the increasing popularity of self-driving tours in recent years, most car owners can enjoy the fun of road trips at relatively low costs. However, cross-border road trips involve the entry and exit of people and vehicles across customs, making them relatively expensive. In 2010, when Guangxi launched a seven-day China-Vietnam cross-border road trip, the group fee alone was over 3,500 yuan per person, which is nearly the price of a seven-day trip from Guangxi to countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. In addition, tourists also need to cover fuel and toll fees for over 2,000 kilometers of travel within Vietnam, which is another significant expense.
Joint efforts help drive cross-border road trips onto the fast track
According to interviews, in recent years, both the Chinese and Vietnamese governments and enterprises have made considerable efforts to promote the development of cross-border road trips. The conditions for such trips are becoming increasingly mature, the environment more relaxed, and many of the previous concerns of tourists are no longer issues.
Regarding visa and customs procedures, thanks to strong government support and assistance from various parties, there has been a significant reduction in intermediate steps such as approval procedures for permits and vehicle clearance. According to Liang Yunyan, general manager of Pingxiang Heping International Travel Agency Co., Ltd., “This year’s cross-border road trip represents a major innovation in terms of procedures, as the intermediate steps have been greatly simplified compared to previous years. The time required from entrusting a travel agency to obtaining approval has been shortened from 15 working days to just 5. Moreover, this year the engine displacement limit for outbound vehicles has been relaxed—vehicles only need to have a displacement of 1.6 liters or above to participate in the cross-border road trip.” Vietnam has also made efforts; the country’s prime minister has instructed and drafted a self-drive management regulation for approval and authorized the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to review it. With these regulatory approvals in place, along with the support of both Chinese and Vietnamese governments for cross-border road trips, the related procedures have been significantly simplified. It is believed that procedures will become even more streamlined in the future.
In terms of driving safety, the self-drive teams were divided into Group A and Group B, each consisting of 15 vehicles, with vehicle numbers displayed on the windows and travel in sequence. The Vietnamese police department also effectively coordinated the safe movement of the convoy by managing traffic lights reasonably and providing police escorts. In case of separation, there is no need to worry—the travel agency will quickly contact the separated vehicle owner and arrange for the last vehicle to wait for those who fall behind. Wang Zhongwei, general manager of the Dongguan Service Center of the Guangdong Self-Drive Tourism Association and one of the leaders of this road trip, specifically highlighted the advantages of walkie-talkies. With a communication range of 10–15 kilometers, they facilitate communication between the team leader and drivers, and among drivers themselves, also helping to prevent vehicles from getting separated. In addition, the travel agency provided each participant with 300,000 yuan in accident insurance, and many tourists also purchased additional vehicle insurance upon the agency’s recommendation.
To better meet the needs of tourists, the Chinese and Vietnamese governments have also made efforts. For example, through negotiations between the two governments, during this China-Vietnam cross-border road trip, aside from parking at the dock in Ha Long Bay and taking a travel agency bus to the attraction, tourists can freely drive for the rest of the journey, fully enjoying the pleasure of self-driving and the beautiful cultural scenery along the way. This approach satisfies both the emotional and psychological needs of travelers to the greatest extent.
The cost of cross-border road trips is also becoming more affordable. According to Pingxiang Heping Travel Agency, based on varying standards of food and accommodation requested by tourists, the standard cost for this road trip averages 600 yuan per person per day. If customers opt for five-star hotels, the all-inclusive price for food and lodging averages 800 yuan per person per day. Taking this four-day, three-night trip as an example, the price ranges between 2,400 and 3,200 yuan, which is acceptable to most customers.
With the gradual elimination of intermediary fees for China-Vietnam road trips and strong support from government departments, there will be more pricing options for China-Vietnam cross-border road trips, and entry and exit customs procedures will become increasingly convenient. Cross-border road trips are set to usher in a “golden era” of rapid development.