Vietnamese tourists board a train on Feb 26 at Hekou North Station in Hekou county, Yunnan province. [Photo by Xiao Jianguo/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Cross-border tourism between China and Vietnam has surged so far this year, with a railway station on the China–Vietnam border handling over 10,000 Vietnamese tourists as of late February, according to China Railway Kunming Group.

On Thursday, the C560 train departed from Hekou North Station in Yunnan's Hekou county, which borders Vietnam, to Kunming South Railway Station in the provincial capital, carrying over 430 Vietnamese tourists.

Since the beginning of this year, Hekou North Station has served over 10,000 tourists from the Southeast Asian nation, marking a year-on-year increase of 35.45 percent. This milestone was reached one month earlier than last year, the railway group said.

To better accommodate the growing travel demands of Vietnamese tourists, China Railway Kunming Group has coordinated with major travel agencies, customs, and border inspection departments to forecast passenger flow trends and make early arrangements for transportation capacity.

Nghiem Viet Chung, consul general of the Consulate General of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Kunming, said that Yunnan is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Vietnamese tourists, and by improving visa procedures and transportation options, it could attract even more visitors.

As of Feb 24, Hekou Port recorded 1.01 million entries and exits, marking a 12.7 percent increase compared to the previous year. It is the first open port in Yunnan province to exceed 1 million in cross-border traffic this year, according to Yunnan Daily.