China’s largest road crossing on the Sino-Vietnamese frontier—Hekou port in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan—has become the province’s first border gate to exceed three million passenger movements this year, the local *Economic Daily* reported on 20 June. As of noon on 18 June the tally stood at 3.001 million, up 6.7 % year-on-year. Growth is being driven by resurgent Vietnamese inbound tour groups eager to experience mainland Dragon-Boat festivities and retail offerings. Between 1 January and 15 June the border post processed 1,500 Vietnamese package tours (29,600 travellers), increases of 14.6 % and 13.8 % respectively.
For Vietnamese visitors and multinational teams planning trips through Hekou, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers a convenient one-stop service for China visa applications and the latest entry guidance. The agency’s digital tools and responsive support can streamline paperwork, helping tour operators and business travellers alike take full advantage of the port’s new fast-track facilities.
The port authority credited the expansion of an online foreigner arrival-card system, real-time flow monitoring and the opening of “love” and “green” fast-track lanes for vulnerable passengers. Hekou is a key node of the Kunming–Hai Phong economic corridor and a bellwether for China–Vietnam people-to-people exchanges. The crossing facilitates not only day-trip shopping but also the movement of Chinese expatriate managers overseeing textile and electronics plants in neighbouring Lao Cai province. Robust volumes bolster the case for further simplifying group-tour visa procedures and for extending cargo-vehicle opening hours, long requested by logistics operators. With 2026-27 designated the China-Vietnam Cross-Border Tourism Cooperation Years, regional authorities expect traffic to continue climbing. Infrastructure upgrades under review include biometric e-gates compatible with Vietnam’s new e-passport and an air-conditioned pedestrian sky-bridge to replace the current open walkway across the Nanxi River. Mobility planners sending staff to the Red River Delta should note that mid-day heat and holiday queues can still produce 30-minute waits at manual counters.
For Vietnamese visitors and multinational teams planning trips through Hekou, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers a convenient one-stop service for China visa applications and the latest entry guidance. The agency’s digital tools and responsive support can streamline paperwork, helping tour operators and business travellers alike take full advantage of the port’s new fast-track facilities.
The port authority credited the expansion of an online foreigner arrival-card system, real-time flow monitoring and the opening of “love” and “green” fast-track lanes for vulnerable passengers. Hekou is a key node of the Kunming–Hai Phong economic corridor and a bellwether for China–Vietnam people-to-people exchanges. The crossing facilitates not only day-trip shopping but also the movement of Chinese expatriate managers overseeing textile and electronics plants in neighbouring Lao Cai province. Robust volumes bolster the case for further simplifying group-tour visa procedures and for extending cargo-vehicle opening hours, long requested by logistics operators. With 2026-27 designated the China-Vietnam Cross-Border Tourism Cooperation Years, regional authorities expect traffic to continue climbing. Infrastructure upgrades under review include biometric e-gates compatible with Vietnam’s new e-passport and an air-conditioned pedestrian sky-bridge to replace the current open walkway across the Nanxi River. Mobility planners sending staff to the Red River Delta should note that mid-day heat and holiday queues can still produce 30-minute waits at manual counters.
