Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VIETNAM
Visas are unobtainable at border crossings; Vietnam visas can be acquired in
Beijing, Kunming, Hong Kong and Nanning . Chinese visas can be obtained in
Hanoi.
China's busiest border with Vietnam is at the obscure Vietnamese town of
Dong Dang, 164km northeast of Hanoi. The closest Chinese town to the bor-
der is Pingxiang in Guangxi province, about 10km north of the actual border
gate. Seven Hanoi-bound buses run from Nanning via the Friendship Pass;
twice-weekly trains (T5 & T6) connect Beijing and Hanoi (via Nanning) while a
daily train (T8701 & T8702) links Hanoi with Nanning.
The Hekou-Lao Cai border crossing is 468km from Kunming and 294km
from Hanoi. At the time of writing, the only way to reach Vietnam via Hekou
was by bus from Kunming.
A third, but little-known border crossing is at Mong Cai in the northeast
corner of the country, just opposite the Chinese city of Dongxing and around
200km south of Nanning.
SEA
JAPAN
There are weekly ferries between Osaka and Kobe and Shanghai. From Ti-
anjin (Tanggu), a weekly ferry runs to Kobe in Japan. There are also twice-
weekly boats from Qingdao to Shimonoseki.
SOUTH KOREA
International ferries connect the South Korean port of Incheon with Weihai,
Qingdao, Yantai, Tianjin, Dalian and Dandong. There are also boats between
Qingdao and Gunsan.
In Seoul, tickets for any boats to China can be bought from the Internation-
al Union Travel Agency ( 822-777 6722; Room 707, 7th fl, Daehan Ilbo
Bldg, 340 Taepyonglo 2-ga, Chung-gu) . In China, tickets can be bought
cheaply at the pier, or from China International Travel Service (CITS; Zhong-
guo Guoji Luxingshe) for a very steep premium.
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