I need to go back to Sweden (Copenhagen) this summer, and to my surprise, I found flying from Hanoi is cheaper than either Beijing or Bangkok, Hongkong or Guangzhou. As a swede, I don't need visa for Vietnam, which begs the question; how do I get from Kunming to Hanoi? is it easy even if I have lots of luggage? it is safe? Thankful for any advice you can give me.

Normal way to go is bus to Hekou on the China Vietnam border, cross to lao gai in Vietnam and make your way to the train station. From there its an overnight, or maybe day train to Hanoi. The trip isn't too bad at all, search the internet for train times.

And search for Vietnam on this site to get lots more info!

Hi Natsymir, the trip is perfectly safe, but it's better to go during the day as night buses have a reputation for theft. Another alternative to the bus would be to catch the only morning train to Mengzi, get off there (as it's the last station) and catch a taxi or bus to the bus station and then board an express bus that uses the expressway down to Hekou. Total traveling time should be 6 hours plus whatever time it takes to get from the Mengzi train station to the bus station and the time you need to wait for the next bus.

Walk across the border and then you'll find buses and trains to Hanoi, although the train is much more comfortable and faster. Even if you have to spend a few hours waiting in Lao Cai, it's a comfortable place to spend some time with lots of foreigners passing through town.

Having lots of luggage is no problem, especially if you use the trains.

A lot of people say it's faster and more comfortable to go by bus via Nanning. But not nearly as interesting, I would imagine. The old-school train from Lao Cai to Hanoi is pretty interesting. Lao Cai is a much nicer city than Hekou, so I'd recommend staying there if you break the trip up with an overnight stay.

natsymir, When are you thinking about going? I was thinking about checking out sapa...maybe onto hanoi! I was going to drive, But looking online its seems i can not drive my car over the boarder..so i will be busing it.

You can take the day or night bus from Kunming to Hekou. From Hekou, cross into Lao Cai. The popular tourist town Sapa is a 30 minute drive away so it would be worthwhile to spend a day there if you have some extra time.

From Lao Cai, you can take the night train down to Hanoi. The train is sweltering hot, especially this time of the year. I would recommend paying extra for a soft sleeper as the fare is cheap and the train is somewhat uncomfortable. You'll probably arrive early in the morning to Hanoi. You should have an idea of where you are staying as it can be difficult to find a place early in the morning.

The trip is safe but it is strongly advised to take the day bus to Hekou as thieves are reported to operate at night. Make sure to attend your luggage in Hanoi as bag snatching is a common occurrence. Be wary of anyone approaching you at the bus or train station. So long as you use common sense, you should be safe.

If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

- Eddie

It should be mentioned as an alternative that you can fly. China Eastern sometimes has direct flights. Otherwise you can transfer. More expensive than bus or train of course, but has other advantages too.

A comfortable daily overnight train links Hanoi and Nanning, which started running in January 2009.

www.trainvietnam.com/content/train-hanoi-nanning

So, one possibility is overnight train to Nanning, then overnight train to Hanoi. Not sure if it's the best/cheapest route, but it's an option.

Hey eddie, where you hiding man?

well, the purpose is sort of to do this as cheaply as possible (within resonable limits), so flights are out of the picture, and going directly to Hekou is probably the way to go about it, as opposed to Kunming-Nanning-Hanoi. And I would like to see Sapa. But my 妹妹 is going with me, as it turned out, and sort of masochist, so I dunno, maybe she'd prefer a hard seat to Nanning...

I had no idea the Nanning-Hanoi-line existed, and it does sound convenient, but I'm still leaning towards a bit more adventure and seeing a bit more of Vietnam. Thank you for your good advice everybody, I'm definitely doing this now.

Will I do fine exchanging my remaining RMB for vietnamese money on the border, or do I need US dollars?