HANOI -- From Wednesday, self-drive tourist cars started to be able to travel freely between Mong Cai city in Vietnam's northern Quang Ninh province and Dongxing city in China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on trial basis.

Vu Van Kinh, vice secretary of Mong Cai city's Party Committee, told Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA on Wednesday that the pilot implementation of self-drive tourist cars between Vietnam and China, which meets demands of tourists, will boost cross-border tourism and make positive contribution to the development of two cities of Mong Cai and Dongxing.

On the first day of the service on Wednesday, as many as 20 Vietnamese cars and 20 Chinese cars completed immigration procedures at Mong Cai International Border Gate.

Those allowed to enter and exit the border gate include less than nine seat tourist cars belonging to individuals and companies.

Each car can stay for no more than three days for a permission in limited areas. Meanwhile, the number of cars entering and traveling in each country must not exceed 100 a day, said VNA.

The pilot implementation will last from Wednesday to the end of January 11, 2017.