Sadly for us travel geeks the Hanoi to Nanning train is now no longer running. That though does not mean that it is impossible to still do this overland. In fact not only is this quite an easy route, but also relatively quick and cheap.
And not only that, but it also means that one can easily do a while Vietnam overland tour that finishes in China.
What happened to the Hanoi to Nanning train?
Initially it was stopped during Covid and has since not been reintroduced. This is a real shame as this 13 hour journey was formerly a truly iconic train journey.
And not just that, but with connections to Beijing it could also be combined with Pyongyang and even Moscow for super hard core train tours.
We previously used this route for our Ultimate Leaders Tour
We are of course hopeful that it will return, but alas we are not privy to China – Vietnam relations…..
How to travel from Hanoi to Nanning in 2024
There are essentially two ways to do this in 2024, with there being an easier and slightly more expensive route, as well as a cheaper, but slightly harder one.
As things stand there are daily buses to Nanning that take around 7 hours and cost between $40-60, these though need to be booked in advance as the lack of trains means they run sell out quickly.
Alternatively you can bus to the border which costs just $18 and with there being a number of different options to do so. Once at the border station you then transfer to a buggy that will drop you at Vietnamese immigration. This is very much the easy part, with it then being a 10-15 minute walk to Chinese immigration.
And Chinese immigration in 2024 is no walk in the park either something we found on our recent trip to Beijing. For whatever reason they have become much stricter with foreigners.
Once through you enter Pingxiang, which is near Chingzuo, but is relatively empty as border towns go.
Pingxiang to Nanning
The last part of the journey offers different options to travel. There are trains to Nanning, as well as Guilin from Pingxiang, as well as buses and shared taxis. Busses will set you back around $12, while a shared taxi around $20.
These tend to drop you at Nanning East high-speed station as very few people actually stay in Nanning. From this station you can get yourself to Guilin Railway Station, Liuzhou (the former home of Ho Chi Minh) and of course to the tourist Mecca that id Yangshuo.
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