China Railway announced on 14 February that every seat on the Nanning–Hanoi cross-border passenger service is sold out through the end of the nine-day Spring-Festival holiday. Since the line’s post-pandemic resumption in May 2025, more than 200 round trips have carried nearly 20,000 travelers, but this is the first time trains have reached 100 percent load factor for an extended period.
The 396-kilometer overnight route links Nanning in Guangxi with the Vietnamese capital, combining customs and immigration clearance at Pingxiang station. Peak-season demand is driven by overseas Chinese returning home via Vietnam and Vietnamese tourists heading to China’s southern tourist belts of Guilin and Guangzhou.
Before embarking on the journey, many travelers need to secure the correct visas. VisaHQ can simplify this step by handling Chinese visa applications online; its dedicated page (https://www.visahq.com/china/) lists current requirements, processing times, and helpful guidance, ensuring a smoother cross-border experience for tourists and business passengers alike.
![China–Vietnam International Train Sells Out for Spring-Festival Rush, Underscoring Land-Border Rebound]()
Rail officials say they are working with Vietnam Railways to add extra carriages—mainly soft-sleeper coaches—to raise capacity by 20 percent. Talks are underway to introduce through-ticketing that would allow passengers to book onward high-speed-rail legs to Shanghai or Kunming in a single transaction, further integrating regional mobility under the Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Zone.
For freight forwarders, the surge in passenger traffic means limited slots for container wagons on the same corridor, potentially pushing exporters toward the China–Vietnam Freight Express via the Dongxing land port. Businesses moving just-in-time components should factor in longer lead times until early March.
Land-route resilience is strategically important: during the 2024 water-level crisis on the Mekong, this rail link maintained uninterrupted flow of travellers and cross-border workers, highlighting its role as a geopolitical and commercial safety valve.
The 396-kilometer overnight route links Nanning in Guangxi with the Vietnamese capital, combining customs and immigration clearance at Pingxiang station. Peak-season demand is driven by overseas Chinese returning home via Vietnam and Vietnamese tourists heading to China’s southern tourist belts of Guilin and Guangzhou.
Before embarking on the journey, many travelers need to secure the correct visas. VisaHQ can simplify this step by handling Chinese visa applications online; its dedicated page (https://www.visahq.com/china/) lists current requirements, processing times, and helpful guidance, ensuring a smoother cross-border experience for tourists and business passengers alike.
Rail officials say they are working with Vietnam Railways to add extra carriages—mainly soft-sleeper coaches—to raise capacity by 20 percent. Talks are underway to introduce through-ticketing that would allow passengers to book onward high-speed-rail legs to Shanghai or Kunming in a single transaction, further integrating regional mobility under the Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Zone.
For freight forwarders, the surge in passenger traffic means limited slots for container wagons on the same corridor, potentially pushing exporters toward the China–Vietnam Freight Express via the Dongxing land port. Businesses moving just-in-time components should factor in longer lead times until early March.
Land-route resilience is strategically important: during the 2024 water-level crisis on the Mekong, this rail link maintained uninterrupted flow of travellers and cross-border workers, highlighting its role as a geopolitical and commercial safety valve.
