The northern mountainous province of Dien Bien and the Nan province in northern Thailand will each open representative tour offices as formalised in their memorandum of understanding (MoU).

The two provinces intend to conduct additional tourism surveys as well as cultural and sports exchanges during a meeting in Dien Bien on February 11 between local authorities and delegates from the Thai provinces of Chieng Rai, Pha Dau, Phe and Nan.

At the meeting, they introduced their distinctive cultural traits and goods, such as rice, brocade and handicrafts.

Pham Xuan Koi, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, hailed Thailand as one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and one of the top 10 largest tourism markets in Vietnam.

Last year, Dien Bien welcomed 75,000 visitors of 84 different nationalities, 9.5 percent of which were Thai. The province included Thailand as a key market in its tourism master plan through 2020.

The Thai guests praised Dien Bien for its strong tourism potential and suggested building a historical-cultural tour route connecting Dien Bien and four Thai provinces in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

Earlier, an event to introduce Thailand’s culture and home-grown products was held in the Dien Bien, promoting Thai cuisine, fashion, cosmetics, handicrafts and household utensils.-VNA