Saigontourist said that they preferred going to Kunming and Nanning, which lie next to the Vietnamese-Chinese border.

Due to the economic crisis, visitors often make a choice of neighboring countries to minimise their expenditure. Tours of China and Cambodia now attract more customers than tours of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Doan Thanh Tra, head of Saigontourist’s Marketing Department said that tours of China accounted for 35 percent of the company’s total revenue from overseas tours. Currently, Saigontourist has developed a diverse range of tours of China, such as traditional tours and special tours of Beijing for older people.