CHINA RAILWAY

Train station was easy and the train left on time almost down to the second. Vietnamese exit was pretty easy. Chinese immigration was a disorganized mess. Nobody seemed to know what was happening. I had to hotspot a few people because not everybody had data to fill out the digital entry form. Border agents asked to see in people's bags, so people started emptying them and then border patrol just walked away without even checking. All of them just seemed confused. 2 people looked at my Canadian passport for a while but I got in no problems. Borders were at 01:30 and 05:00 for the Vietnamese and Chinese respectively. Actual train is decent. There's one plug in each cabin and pretty much the entire route has data for my phone. I'm writing this from the train even. All in, probably not the best option if you care about comfort or simplicity, but if you want to save a very minimal amount of money and have an interesting journey then this is the train to be on. Christopher  

Need more info about food on trains Kyle  

Service client vraiment carré ! Les informations données sont super claires et en cas de doute ils répondent très rapidement. Paolo  

The booking process went smoothly, and tickets were exchanged for entry. However, for international trains, it would be helpful to have a specification stating: 1. Voucher must be exchanged at the counter for the ticket. 2. When crossing borders, all belongings and luggage must be rescanned. This would allow all customers to be prepared for potential issues and avoid being caught off guard. Tiraputtichai  

Très bon voyage. Les informations n’étaient pas claires sur les moments où il fallait sortir du train pour les contrôles. Sandrine  

We were not allowed to board the train. Chinese Customs cannot issue the needed 240-hour visa, and we therefore had to stay an extra night in Hong Kong. I am sure the train was great, we just never took it. The ferry port in Shenzhen can issue the needed visa, and we were therefore told to take the ferry from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. Although it is not Baolau's responsibility, it would be additional information to assist foreigners booking. Geoffrey  

Good train with very slow operations at border Antonio  

It feels a bit strange to travel without physical tickets but it is fine only with passports. Pol  

Train D87 leaves early in the morning. You have to take a taxi to the South Train Station because the metro is not running yet. Google maps does not recognize the station. Make sure that the taxi goes to the right station. The Baolau eTicket Receipt must be exchanged for a real train ticket, which includes a QR code. You will receive a train ticket by showing your passport at the 12306 custom service counter, which is in the middle of the station hall. Finnish citizens need a visa to Laos and must obtain it in advance from the e-visa website. The e-visa must be printed on paper. Otherwise, there will be problems at the Lao border. Jarmo  

I was very happy with all aspects of the service. The train journey was smooth and incident free and I left on time and arrived on time. I cannot ask for more. Kevin  

The train itself was clean and quite comfortable. I don't understand, however, why it is so slow and why it is not possible to arrange Vietnamese/Chinese border controls inside the train (like it is arranged on the Chinese/Russian border). Denis  

Being able to travel from Vietnam to China overnight is very convenient. However, having to wake up twice in the middle of the night to go through immigration and customs is a bit of a hassle. Satoshi  

Excelente servicio. El tren es muy cómodo y limpio. Un viaje excelente. Gonzalo  

Muy preciso en los tiempos, muy limpio y ordenado! Agradezco que NO se permita fumar en el tren. Fabian  

Se hubiera agradecido enormemente poder seleccionar los asientos y que nos los autoasignara el sistema. Carlos  

The process itself went smoothly, but the unclear handling of the ticketing process after issuance made me uneasy. Other than that, I was satisfied. Daikichi  

The train from Hanoi to Nanning is comfy and clean, but you have to get out at 2 and 4 AM in the night to do the immigration process. Leon  

Muy bien todo, pero los paneles están en chino y utilizamos los números de tren. de todas maneras, llevando en billete en mano, los guardias de seguridad son muy amables y te orientan. Una excelente idea reservar, porque si no, seguramente no hubiéramos encontrado plaza los días que queríamos viajar. Recomiendo encarecidamente este servicio, si van a realizar viajes en tren por China reserven con antelación. Montserrat  

Good. Dang  

Good response time, very happy with my experience. Sean  

The train was clean and comfortable, quiet and boarding was easy. The border crossing between Vietnam and China was not a good experience. The passport control at the Vietnamese border was quick and easy, but then the train did not move on for another two hours after everyone re-boarded. Then the customs control at the China border required more than an hour waiting in a line in the station with nothing happening. Once the process started it was easy but the waiting seemed to be totally unnecessary. Tessa