China to Vietnam, By Land

I rang in the New Year onboard the train from Nanning, China, to Hanoi, hopefully setting an appropriately adventurous tone for 2010.

The train turned out to be a very easy and economical way to get between the two countries. You can arrive in Nanning (the capital of Guangxi Province) without your Vietnamese visa and be in Vietnam 48 hours later, for a total of about $100. The basic process was as follows:

• The easiest way to get your visa in Nanning is through the excellent Lotusland Hostel. For the same prices charged by the Vietnamese consulate, they will arrange your visa. The standard two-day service costs 380 RMB while same-day service costs 580 RMB. All you need is your passport and one passport photo — they even do the paperwork for you.
• Passports are returned after 7 p.m., so it’s not possible to get your visa and take the 6:45 p.m. train on the same day.
• Once you’ve got your passport back, head to the Nanning train station, window 16, to buy your international train ticket. You need to show both your passport AND your Vietnam visa to buy the ticket. Hard sleeper costs 147 RMB. I had no problem getting a bottom-berth ticket the day before my departure, and in fact the train was almost empty.
• Get to the station a little early to board the train. You’ll need to show your passport and ticket to the train station attendants. The train itself is a bit nicer than standard Chinese hard sleeper, perhaps because the passenger volume is so small.
• The train stops at Pingxiang around 10 p.m., where you exit China. After an hour stopped at Pingxiang, the train travels another hour to Dong Dang, where you enter Vietnam at a slightly less organized, definitely less new, border office.
• At Dong Dang, you may be asked to pay a 2 RMB “health inspection” fee after they take your temperature — I avoided it by ignoring the request.
• Vietnam is an hour behind China, so when the train leaves Dong Dang at around 12:30 a.m., Hanoi time, you will have about 4 hours to sleep before the train gets into Gia Lam station in the outskirts of Hanoi.
• At 5 a.m., Gia Lam station is not so much a station as a track and a gate. There are a crowd of taxi drivers waiting to take you downtown, and at least one was willing to accept payment in RMB. There were no nearby ATMs or money-changers at the station.
• The city is basically shut down at this hour, so you should have a hotel or hostel booked in advance. (I highly recommend the Little Hanoi Hotel at 48 Hang Ga.)

Overall, this was a great way to get into Vietnam. The only caveat is that as a solo traveler, getting a taxi from Gia Lam into the Old City would have been nervewracking (and potentially dangerous) if I hadn’t been able to join forces with two other backpackers on the same train. If you’re anxious about this, an alternative is the daytime bus from Nanning to Hanoi (150 RMB, 7-8 hours). Buses depart from central Nanning at 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Related posts:

1. Two Tiers of Transport in Vietnam
2. Four Observations on Departing Vietnam
3. The Cu Chi Tunnels & the Disneyfication of the Vietnam War
4. Russian Visas: Apply With Care and Caution
5. Snapshot: Bac Ha Sunday Market, Vietnam

Tagged as: China, Hanoi, Nanning, train, Vietnam