Verified answer

Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi

Bus or train

Possible detours: Nha Trang, Hoi An, Danang, Hue

Hanoi to Nanning

The easiest but most expensive way to cross is the direct bus to Nanning from Kim Lien Hotel in Hanoi. There are also direct train services across the border.

The most popular route, though, goes like this. From Gia Lam station get on a bus to Dong Dang for around 60,000vnd +. (You can also take a train, but the train station is further from the border.) They should drop you near the border and you'll only have to walk 200-300m to the Vietnamese passport control. The standard procedure requires you to throw your passport above the heads of the hoards of travelers through the hole in the office window and wait until you notice an official wandering about with your passport. Good luck.

Once you're stamped you can walk the short distance into China and enter the marble tiled efficiency of Chinese immigration control. When they set you free you need to get to Pingxiang 15km away. Don't accept the first taxi tout but wander around through the huge stone gate, see the motobike taxis and get a bidding war started. A taxi should only cost around ¥30 and a motorbike no more than ¥20. From Pingxiang get the bus to Nanning. They are more regular than the trains and this will take about 2 1/2 hours. You will arrive at Lang Dong station.

Nanning to Guangzhou

From Nanning you need to travel over night to Guangzhou. If you are happy with a sleeper bus, Langdong station is the right place to be. Bear in mind the journey by bus will take 10 to 11 hours and cost about ¥230. If you want to catch a train, which may be cheaper depending on your level of endurance, get on the number 6 bus (¥2) to the train station (huoche zhan) which takes about 20 to 30 mins. This is the better option because even if you can't get a train you can buy a bus ticket at the Lang Dong station ticket office on Chaoyang lu near the Yin He hotel, which is a two minute walk from the train station. This way you can see some more of Nanning before catching the No 6 back to the bus station. (Allow 50 mins). When in Guangzhou get yourself to Guangzhou east station and use the new metro for about ¥5. Once there follow the signs for the Kowloon express and for ¥180 you'll be in Hong Kong in less than 1 1/2 hours. You will arrive at Hung Hom station and it's just one stop on the MTR to get to Tsim Sha Tsui east where you can find all the budget accommodation in one of the two "mansions" on Nathan Rd.

Guangzhou to Shanghai

If you want to skip Guangzhou/HK, direct train services are available from Nanning to Shanghai. Many would probably visit Guilin, which is a few hours from Nanning along the rail line towards Shanghai. Before Shanghai, the city Hangzhou is probably worth a visit.

Alternate route through Kunming

If you have the time and money, you could swing further west into China.

It is quite easy to take a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai at the border and cross the border to Hekou, Yunnan before taking a bus to Kunming, where direct train services are available to Shanghai. The rail service from Hekou to Kunming is currently under maintenance.

If you would like to visit Sichuan or Chongqing, direct trains are available from Kunming as well. There are direct trains to Shanghai from both Chengdu and Chongqing.

From Chongqing, it is possible to travel along the Yangtze river down to Shanghai. The attractions on the way include the famous Three Gorges.

Stay safe

Get out

Well first of all make sure you can get the Chinese visa on the train. These days you need a business visa or to get a tourist visa you need to have a return flight. Maybe if you just have a flight out of China it would be ok. Check the visa rules.

To get from Ho Chi Minh city to Beijing by train you do it this way.

HCMC to Hanoi, train to Nanning (which gives you access to the beautiful Guilin and Yangshou).

You can also train to Sa Pa then train from Kunming in China, which gives you access to the Beautiful Lijiang, Dali and Shangrila (Zhongdian). Then you take the train from there to Gulin.

From Guilin you take the highspeed train to Guangzhou (2 hours these days).

From Guangzhou you will find buying tickets for trains hard, but the Guangzhou/Beijing train is fast. You can also take the Guangzhou to Shanghai train, which last time I took this before was fairly slow, but still ok.

Shanghai to Beijing is 5 hours by high speed train (I did it on the slow train once, which was 24 hours with the train acting as a local commuter train for people going to work in Shanghai, so stopped everywhere).

Alternatively take a cruise from Ho Chi Minh City, then take the train from Hong Kong to Beijing.

Personally I love Chinese trains, and I used to prefer to slow packed ones where everyone become friends, but I would recommend flying as the way to get around China, as it is big, and if you are not stopping places then the train is not really worth it.

Personally I find the train a much more comfortable method of travel in Vietnam - plus you can enjoy some gorgeous coastal scenery along the way.

Unfortunately, the Vietnamese railway system is rather primitive and doesn't offer any kind of 'hop on/off' ticket. You'll instead just have to buy single tickets to each destination as you go along. But it's easy to do this and is relatively cheap. Most hotels in Vietnam can book the tickets for you and you only need to book a day or so in advance, so it's easy to just book as you go along.

I definitely think train travel is the most comfortable and convenient way of travelling cheaply around Vietnam (the buses can often break down or can be severely delayed if there's a storm).

Hope this helps!

Shanghai is really a distinguished global city drawing more and more attention from all around the world; so see what this city has to offer with hotelbye . Shanghai is a favorite travel location for visitors. In Shanghai you can see the wonderful Yu Garden (Yù Yuán), also called the Garden of Happiness. That Garden covers a location in excess of 20,000 square meters and includes an outer and an inner garden. The oldest part may be the Outer Garden with further improvements being made in the 18th century when Sansui Tang, the park's principal hall, was added. The newer and much smaller Inner Garden days from 1709 and includes characteristics typical of a traditional Chinese writer's Garden: attractive small pavilions, decorative stones, and little mountain stages, splitting surfaces and small lakes, and a good richly designed theatrical stage.

Being may be the capital of China and also its political, economic, and social middle and you've the opportunity to view it now, look with hotelbye . Beijing is one of the most visited cities in the world. Each year, countless guests arrive at Beijing to see the truly amazing blend of old and new. Beijing is really a town for several seasons. You are able to always find something for you personally no matter what time you're in Beijing and whatsoever your pursuits are. It takes time to take pleasure from anything that Beijing City is offering but positively you can't lose the opportunity to see Tiananmen Square. Positioned in the center of Beijing, Tiananmen Square is the site for significant parades and rallies and the biggest square of this type in the world.

Hi Alexander,

As I know it is impossible to buy such as train-pass in Vietnam.

You should buy train ticket for each route: Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and then Hanoi to Beijing.

You can make stops along the way, visit some interesting places there and then buy new ticket. Be sure you know which station your train leaves from and arrive to.

Best wishes,

Rose Thu

Email: [email protected]

Yahoo: vietnamvisa.review

Skype: rose.thu

Web: http://www.getvisavietnam.com.vn/

Blog: http://howtogetvietnamvisaonarrival.blogspot.com/

In Vietnam, the bus is better than train. You can easily make you stops from Hochiminh to Hanoi. Then you can take the train from Hanoi to nanning china. You can visit around by train in china.

It is not possible to buy a train pass or hop on hop off tickets. Buy a single ticket to each individual destination. Simple.

Train though it will take days so make sure you will make some adjustments beforehand. Check Seat61 website and book from there.