the lazy travel writer

The overnight train service running daily between Nanning and Hanoi is very comfortable in Chinese soft sleeper carriages however don’t look forward to getting too much sleep.

Departure from Nanning is currently at 6.45 pm, with arrival in Pingxiang a little after 10pm for Chinese border control formalities which took around 90 minutes.    Once this is done it’s takes a further 45 minutes to reach Dong Dang where Vietnamese border control takes place.  Another 90 minutes or so of hanging around and carting luggage on and off the train through various procedures, which seem to be relatively disorganized or unclear, and you are on your way again.  

Unless you nap whenever you can its likely you will only get around 4 hours uninterrupted sleep as scheduled arrival at Gia Lam station in Hanoi is 4.45am. 

Gia Lam is not the main railway station in Hanoi and is located around 5 klms or so north of the old quarter.   When you arrive it is kind of like you are in some dark, backstreet alleyway (which you are!) – turn right as you exit from the gate near platform area and head towards the few street lights where there will be a few taxis waiting.  These seemed to definitely require some heavy bargaining.  

The Gia Lam bus station is only 5-10 minutes walk away so there are more taxis available out on the streets away from the railway station who seem happy to use the meter.   Perhaps this is obvious but the taxi meters are in Vietnamese Dong and not US$, so a fare shown as 12 on the meter is 12,000 dong, 27.1 is twenty seven thousand one hundred dong.

Walking into town is challenging and not really recommended as apart from the fact its dark with not so many streetlights the bridge over the river doesn’t have a pedestrian lane which will make for an interesting experience amongst the throngs of motor bikes and cars who whiz across into the centre of the city.

There is no opportunity to change money at the border crossing or immediately on arrival so make sure you have some small US$ notes as these are usually readily accepted at shops or taxis.  

Overall I found the train to be great value, clean and comfortable.  While it’s not as cheap as the daytime bus it is very easy and means you don’t lose a day sitting on a bus.    Tickets are Y228 for soft sleeper and can be purchased from window 16 in the ticket hall at Nanning railway station.   The soft seat/sleeper waiting room is on the very far left of the station.