Vietnam - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 153

GETTING TO CHINA: NORTHEAST BORDERS
Lang Son to Pingxiang
Getting to the border The Friendship Pass at the Dong Dang/Pingxiang border crossing is the most
popular crossing in the far north. The border post itself is at Huu Nghi Quan (Friendship Pass), 3km
north of Dong Dang town. Frequent minibuses travel between Lang Son and Dong Dang. From Dong
Dang a xe om to Huu Nghi Quan is around 30,000d and a taxi around 60,000d. From Lang Son count
on about 140,000d for a taxi or 70,000d for a xe om .
At the border The border is open 24 hours. To cross the 500m to the Chinese side, you'll need to
catch one of the electric cars (10,000d). You'll also need a pre-arranged visa for China.
Moving on On the Chinese side, it's a 20-minute drive to Pingxiang by bus or shared taxi. Pingxiang
is connected by train and bus to Nanning (three hours).
Mong Cai to Dongxing
Getting to the border The Mong Cai/Dongxing border crossing is in the extreme northeastern corner
of Vietnam. The crossing is around 3km from the Mong Cai bus station; around 20,000d on a xe om or
40,000d in a taxi.
At the border The border is open daily between 7am and 10pm Vietnam time. Note that China is one
hour ahead of Vietnam. You'll need to have a pre-arranged visa for China.
Moving on Across the border in Dongxing, frequent buses run to Nanning in China's Guangxi
province.
Lao Cai to Kunming
Getting to the border The Chinese border at the Lao Cai/Hekou border crossing is about 3km from
Lao Cai train station, a journey done by xe om (around 25,000d) or taxi (around 50,000d).
At the border The border is open daily between 7am and 10pm Vietnam time. Note that China is one
hour ahead of Vietnam. You'll need to have a pre-arranged visa for China, and border-crossing form-
alities usually take around one hour. Note that travellers have reported Chinese officials confiscating
Lonely Planet China guides at this border, so you may want to try masking the cover.
Moving on The new Hekou bus station is around 6km from the border post. There are regular depar-
tures to Kunming, including sleeper buses that leave at 7.20pm and 7.30pm, getting into Kunming at
around 7am. There are also earlier departures.
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Ba Be National Park
0281 / ELEV 145M