Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai overland

This itinerary describes the overland route from Ho Chi Minh City through Vietnam up to Hanoi and further into China. This route is becoming a very real choice for the adventurous traveler.

Prepare
Most travelers will need visas for at least Vietnam and China. See those countries' entries for details.

For most passports, Vietnamese visas are easy to get in Singapore or Bangkok, but you need to allow several days processing time for each or pay extra for express service. Alternatively, most citizens of most Western countries are eligible for an eVisa, which saves you a trip to the embassy or consulate, but you must enter only on a specific date at a specific port of entry.

One the other hand, you must apply for your Chinese visa in your country of citizenship or residence, as Chinese embassies and consulates do not process visa applications of tourists visiting the host country. If you plan on visiting Hong Kong or Macau, you will need a multiple-entry Chinese visa.

Get in
See Discount airlines in Asia. Some of those have cheap flights between China and Southeast Asia which might fit in with this itinerary; as of 2006, there were no international LCC flights to Shanghai, but Air Asia has services from Bangkok to Xiamen and a whole host of carriers fly to Hong Kong/Macau.

Air Asia provide flights from Kuala Lumpur (LCCT), Malaysia to Hangzhou daily except Thursday; Hangzhou is very close to Shanghai. From LCCT to Guangzhou there is a daily flight, too.

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 frequent than the trains and will take about 2 1/2 hours. You will arrive at Lang Dong station. (As to the trains, as of 2015, there are 3 departures a day from Pingxiang to Nanning, with the travel time of 4-5 hours. One of these trains continues to Guilin).

Nanning to Shanghai by direct train
As of 2015, several trains run directly from Nanning to Shanghai. One high-speed (G-series) day train from Nanning East Station makes it to Shanghai Hongqiao Station in 12 hours; 3-4 "conventional" (T or K series), from Nanning Station and/or Nanning East Station take 25 to 30 hours to Shanghai South Station. One can split this train trip into sections, with stops at such places as Guilin, Changsha, Nanchang, or Hangzhou.

Nanning to Guangzhou
If you want to visit Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or Hong Kong, you can several options for going there from Nanning.

During the day, there are frequent high-speed (D-series) trains from Nanning East Station (Nanning Dong huoche zhan) to Guangzhou South; they take 4 hours, with the fare of ¥169 (as of 2015). (A few of these trains serve Nanning Station as well, if that's where you are). At Guangzhou South you can transfer to a Shenzhen-bound high-speed train.

You can also travel from Nanning to Guangzhou over night. 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 Nanning train station (Nanning 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 Vietnamese narrow-gauge train from Hanoi to Lao Cai at the border and cross the border to Hekou, Yunnan. From Hekou, trains have been running to Kunming on the new standard-gauge railway since 2014, even as the passenger service on the old narrow-gauge line has been terminated within China. One can also take a bus from Hekou to Kunming. Both High-speed trains (since 2016) and conventional, slower, trains run from Kunming to Shanghai (as well as to China's other major cities, such as Beijing or Wuhan).

If you would like to visit Sichuan or Chongqing, direct trains are available from Kunming as well ("conventional" only). There are direct trains (high-speed and conventional) to Shanghai and Beijing from both Chengdu and Chongqing.

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