Within the framework of the working program, the delegation held a talks session with the Yunnan provincial Department of Culture and Tourism to exchange tourism management and development experiences, alongside accelerating substantive cooperation contents between the two localities.

This working trip was implemented to materialize the contents agreed upon at the 6th Annual Conference between the provincial Party Secretaries of Điện Biên, Lai Châu, Lào Cai, and Tuyên Quang provinces (Vietnam) and Yunnan province (China), while simultaneously fulfilling the agreements reached at the 12th Session of the Joint Working Group between the two sides’ localities.

Speaking at the talks, Trần Hải Hà, Acting Director of the Điện Biên provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, affirmed that the working visit demonstrates the firm determination of Điện Biên province to strengthen international cooperation and expand tourism and cultural development linkages in the foreign policy spirit of the Party and State, while contributing to reinforcing the traditional friendly relations between Vietnam and China through substantive exchange and cooperation activities.

During the session, the Điện Biên side introduced the local prominent tourism potentials. Currently, the province possesses the Điện Biên Phủ Battlefield Special National Historical Relic Site, 24 national intangible cultural heritages including heritages inscribed by UNESCO, alongside a diverse cultural space of 19 ethnic groups residing in the area. Additionally, a system of unique natural landscapes such as A Pa Chải, Pá Khoang lake, Mường Phăng, and Pha Đin pass creates favorable conditions to develop signature tourism products.

The leader of the Điện Biên tourism sector stated that the province is currently the only locality in the Northwest region with an airport eligible to receive modern aircraft types such as the Airbus A320, A321, and equivalents. Positioned geographically closest to Yunnan province among Vietnamese localities with an airport, Điện Biên is evaluated to possess immense potential to become a gateway connecting Northwest Vietnam with Southwest China.

Leveraging this advantage, the Điện Biên side proposed that both parties study and petition competent authorities and airlines of Vietnam and China to consider organizing charter flights connecting Kunming, Lijiang, or Xishuangbanna with Điện Biên and vice versa. This is viewed as a vital solution to shorten travel times, reduce costs for tourists, and simultaneously drive trade, investment, and tourism cooperation between the two localities.

Alongside aviation connectivity, Điện Biên also proposed researching a mechanism to facilitate immigration activities through the A Pa Chải (Điện Biên) - Long Phú (Yunnan) area, step-by-step forming border-crossing tourism routes and expanding the space for bilateral tourism development cooperation. Another notable content brought forward at the talks was the idea of constructing a “Thai Cultural Corridor” connecting Northwest Vietnam with Xishuangbanna (Yunnan, China), shaping cultural tourism itineraries based on the shared historical and cultural values of the Thai community in the region.

Both sides also exchanged views on the possibility of maximizing the value of the A Pa Chải tri-border landmark junction area to build signature tourism products. Concurrently, they discussed enhancing coordinated tourism promotion on digital platforms, organizing survey and investment promotion delegations, and creating conditions for travel enterprises to connect, build new tours and tourism routes, and expand the international tourist market.

According to the evaluation of the participating delegates, strengthening tourism linkages between Điện Biên and Yunnan does not only contribute to efficiently exploiting each locality’s potentials and advantages but also generates momentum to drive socio-economic development in the border area, helping consolidate friendship, understanding, and trust between the people of the two countries.