The night train is the best way from Hanoi to Nanning. It leaves Gia Lam at 21:20, clears both borders overnight and reaches Nanning at 10:06 for about US$38, saving a hotel night. Daytime buses cost about the same and take 8 hours, with a change at the border. Check your passport first: China's 30-day visa-free entry covers most Europeans, Britons, Canadians, Australians, Japanese and Koreans, but not Americans.
How we built this guide: on 19 October 2026 we read Vietnam Railways' MR1 timetable and fares, Baolau, 12Go listings for 4 and 7 November 2026, FlightsFrom, China's immigration rules and visa notices, Vietnam's e-visa gate resolutions and UK and US government advice. We did not ride these services. Conversions use Vietcombank's selling rates that day: 26,100 VND per US dollar and 3,940 VND per yuan.
Which way from Hanoi to Nanning suits you?
Take the train if you can sleep on one, the bus if you want to travel by day, and fly only if the schedule fits. China is one hour ahead of Vietnam, so arrival times below are Beijing time.
| Mode | Time | Price seen | Comfort and hassle | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night train MR1 | 21:20 to 10:06, about 11 hours 46 minutes | 1,001,000 VND (about US$38) | 4-berth sleeper; border checks at night | Most travelers |
| Daytime bus via the border | 7 hours 50 minutes to 8 hours 10 minutes | 1,000,000 to 1,253,750 VND (about US$38 to US$48) | Change vehicles and walk through immigration | Day travel, any departure time |
| Van and bus from Noi Bai airport | 8 hours 30 minutes | 1,770,000 VND (about US$68) | Pickup at the airport | Arriving by air in Hanoi |
| Direct flight, GX Airlines | 1 hour 10 minutes in the air | 4,588,505 VND (about US$176) on 12Go | Twice a week; airport time at both ends | Flyers, US citizens using transit rules |
How does the night train from Gia Lam work?
MR1 runs every night from Gia Lam station, at 481 Ngoc Lam per Baolau, and the same carriages go all the way: Xinhua explains that dual-gauge track on the Vietnamese side means no change of train despite the two countries' different gauges (Xinhua). Every car is a soft sleeper with four berths per compartment.
This is Vietnam Railways' timetable for 3 November 2026:
| Station | Distance | Arrives | Leaves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gia Lam (Hanoi) | 0 km | 21:20 | |
| Bac Giang | 44 km | 22:11 | 22:14 |
| Dong Dang (Vietnam exit) | 157 km | 00:55 | 02:50 |
| Pingxiang (China entry) | 176 km | 04:31 | 06:05 |
| Chongzuo | 274 km | 07:56 | 08:01 |
| Nanning | 396 km | 10:06 |
Both berth levels cost 1,001,000 VND including insurance, and Baolau showed the same fare for its "Soft Sleeper 4-Berth", plus its service fee. The train arrives at Nanning's main station in Xixiangtang. Coming back, T8701/MR2 leaves Nanning at 18:05 and reaches Gia Lam at 05:30, listed at 283 yuan (about 1,115,000 VND) on Baolau.
How do you buy a ticket?
At any Vietnam Railways station, online at dsvn.vn, or through Baolau. Station sales went nationwide on 16 July 2025 (VnEconomy). Online sales started on 8 October 2025, but what you get is a payment receipt, not a ticket: bring it with your passport to the station about an hour before departure and swap it for the ticket, which staff hand out within 5 hours of departure (Bao Van Hoa). The same notice asked for a passport with a valid paper visa, so carry printed copies of every visa you hold.
Does the train still run in 2026?
Yes, daily, with weather breaks. Xinhua described it as a daily service in April 2026 (Xinhua), and the route had carried more than 31,700 passengers by its first anniversary in May 2026 (Viet Nam News). Heavy rain in China halted it from 2 to 6 July 2026 (QDND), and a storm stopped it on 9 October 2025 (Bao Van Hoa), so check the day before.
Can you ride through to Beijing or Kunming?
Beijing, yes; Kunming, no. The 3 November 2026 timetable shows MR1 continuing past Nanning to Guilin North, Changsha and Zhengzhou, reaching Beijing West at 09:59 on 5 November, 2,891 km from Gia Lam. Reports from 2025 put these departures on Tuesdays and Fridays, quoted the Hanoi to Beijing fare at over 9 million VND (Dtinews), and said tickets beyond Nanning had to be bought at a station. There is no passenger train to Kunming: Wikipedia lists the old Kunming to Hanoi service as terminated, and we found no report of it returning.
How do the buses via the Friendship Pass work?
They run by day, take about 8 hours and cost about the same as the train. On 12Go for 4 November 2026, besides the airport van and bus in the table above:
| Seller | Leaves Hanoi | Time | Fare on 12Go | Arrives in Nanning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golink Sao Vang | 06:00, 07:00, 09:30, 11:50, 13:50 from 55 Tran Khat Chan | 8 hours | 1,062,500 VND (1,000,000 VND on 7 Nov) | Langdong bus station or Nanning East station |
| Grouptour | 05:45, 06:50, 08:55, 11:35, 13:40 from its meeting point | 7 hours 50 to 55 minutes | 1,076,750 VND | Langdong bus station or Nanning East station |
| Grouptour | 05:30, 06:40, 08:45, 11:25, 13:30, pickup listed as Hanoi SSB | 8 hours to 8 hours 10 minutes | 1,253,750 VND | Langdong bus station or Nanning East station |
The listings do not name the crossing. The direct road reaches the border at Huu Nghi, the Friendship Pass, where Vietnam's National Route 1 begins and China's Highway 322 runs on into Guangxi (Wikipedia). It is busy: the Chinese side, Youyiguan, handled more than 4 million crossings by people in 2025 (People's Daily).
Reviewers on 12Go describe a van to the border, both immigration halls on foot, then a Chinese bus to Nanning. Two 2026 reviewers found their Hanoi pickup point had moved without notice, and one advised filling in China's arrival card in advance. Confirm the pickup the evening before.
Can you fly from Hanoi to Nanning?
Yes, twice a week. GX Airlines (Guangxi Beibu Gulf Airlines) started the route on 31 December 2025 (AeroRoutes), and FlightsFrom showed GX8972 on Tuesdays and Saturdays in November 2026 from Noi Bai Terminal 2, about 1 hour 10 minutes in the air. 12Go listed it at 09:40 on 7 November for 4,588,505 VND, but FlightsFrom gave 20:20, so check your booking. Connections took at least 5 hours 50 minutes. Our Noi Bai guide covers the airport ride.
Do you need a visa for China?
That depends on your passport and on whether you cross by land or fly.
Who can enter China visa-free for 30 days?
Ordinary passport holders from 50 countries, through any open air, sea or land port, so the train and bus both work. Shanghai's government page, updated in August 2026, lists 35 European countries, the UK included, plus Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Canada, five Latin American countries, Brunei and four Gulf states (Shanghai government). The Czech Republic and Lithuania were not on it. Tourism, business, family visits, exchanges and transit all qualify.
The policy runs to 31 December 2026 for most countries; British and Canadian citizens joined on 17 February 2026 (Chinese Visa Application Service Center). The 30 days count from the day after you enter (China Consular Affairs). The UK government asks for a passport valid at least 6 months after arrival, with 2 blank pages (FCDO).
What about US citizens and the 240-hour transit rule?
US citizens need a visa before arriving, says the US State Department. The 240-hour visa-free transit rule covers 57 nationalities, Americans included, but only through 65 designated ports (National Immigration Administration). In Guangxi those are Nanning, Guilin and Beihai airports and Beihai port. No crossing on the Vietnam border is on the list; the nearest land port on it is the Mohan rail port, on the Laos border in Yunnan. Transit visitors may stay up to 240 hours in 12 Guangxi cities, Nanning among them, with a confirmed onward ticket. The State Department adds that the onward destination must be a different country from the one you came from.
| Your passport | Train or bus across the border | Flight into Nanning |
|---|---|---|
| UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most EU, Japan, South Korea | Visa-free, up to 30 days | Visa-free, up to 30 days |
| United States | Visa needed | 240-hour transit possible with an onward ticket to a third country |
| Not on either list | Visa needed | Visa needed |
From 20 November 2025, travelers can submit China's arrival card online before arriving, through the immigration administration's platform, its 12367 app or WeChat and Alipay mini programs (Shanghai government).
Can you leave Vietnam on a single-entry e-visa?
Yes, but name the right exit and expect it to end the visa. The Huu Nghi road gate was on the original e-visa list under Resolution 127/NQ-CP (lsvn.vn), and Resolution 389/NQ-CP of 2 December 2025 added the Dong Dang rail gate that the train uses (lsvn.vn). The UK government warns that e-visas restrict you to the entry and exit points you select when you apply (FCDO).
To come back after Nanning, you need a new e-visa or an exemption, or the US$50 multiple-entry e-visa instead of the US$25 single-entry one from the start (Immigration Department). Our Vietnam visa guide explains the options.
How do you continue by high-speed train from Nanning?
The fast trains we found left from Nanning East, not the main station where the Hanoi train arrives, so allow time to cross the city. On 12Go for 5 November 2026:
- Guangzhou South: D3601 left at 06:49 and took 3 hours 17 minutes, from 1,111,173 VND (12Go).
- Guilin: G1462 took 1 hour 59 minutes, from 569,499 VND (12Go).
- Kunming South: D3933 took 4 hours 4 minutes, from 1,387,641 VND (12Go).
These are resale prices with 12Go's markup. For other trips out of the capital, see our routes from Hanoi.
Key facts at a glance
- MR1 leaves Gia Lam at 21:20 and reaches Nanning at 10:06 Beijing time for 1,001,000 VND, per Vietnam Railways.
- Daytime buses took 7 hours 50 minutes to 8 hours 10 minutes from 1,062,500 VND on 4 November 2026, per 12Go.
- 50 nationalities can enter China visa-free for 30 days through any open port, mostly until 31 December 2026, per the Shanghai government.
- Guangxi's 240-hour transit ports are three airports and Beihai port, with no land crossing from Vietnam, per the National Immigration Administration.
- The Dong Dang rail gate joined Vietnam's e-visa list under Resolution 389/NQ-CP of 2 December 2025, per lsvn.vn.
Limitations
Times and fares are a snapshot read on 19 October 2026 for early November travel. The flight sources disagreed on GX8972's departure time, and 12Go's bus listings did not name the crossing, so confirm both. Bus details beyond the timetable come from traveler reviews.
China's visa-free notices expire on 31 December 2026 for most countries, so check your nationality with a Chinese embassy. The Beijing fare and the Tuesday and Friday pattern come from 2025 reports; we confirmed only the 3 November 2026 departure. We found no statement on whether station staff still ask for a paper visa now that Dong Dang accepts the e-visa, and storms have suspended the train, so recheck a day ahead.
