Vietnam-China sea tourism service completes trial run

HANOI -- The trial run of the sea tourism route connecting China's Beihai and Vietnam's Ha Long Bay completed successfully on Tuesday.

The Beiyou speedboat 16 of China's Xin'ao Corporation carrying 22 crew members docked at Tuan Chau port in Vietnam's northeastern Quang Ninh province, Vietnam's state-run news agency reported.

After the trial run, the sea tourism route is scheduled to be put into operation in early April this year with frequency of two times a week, carrying around 800 passengers each time.

The opening of the sea route is expected to boost sea tourism service between China and Vietnam.

Some seven million tourists came to Quang Ninh Province known for its World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay resort last year, up 8 percent over the previous year, with international tourists accounting for around 2.4 million, according to Quang Ninh Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.