Yes this does sound like a strange requirement for a student visa. Incidentally, on the other thread there is a link that suggests the criminal records check may no longer be required after September, but let's wait and see if that's going to be the case. In any case, I had no problems obtaining my record by applying online and waiting for it in the mail, was a little bit of an inconvenience but not a major nuisance.
Yes as mentioned, Kunming or Jinghong. There is a Lao consulate there now so it depends where you'd rather hang around while waiting - personally I'd prefer Jinghong because Kunming is too cold. Jinghong has a nice friendly and relaxed vibe and nice, comfortably warm weather. But it's up to you - Kunming has more things to do of course and if you are living in Kunming already you'll save on accommodation costs.
@Peter99, sounds like you know some people like this?
Anyway, the OP is right that it has become easier to travel to Tibet this year, unlike last year. A friend of mine went with his mom (they have two different nationalities) - no problems. Permit was easy to get, but they did need to have a car with driver, who acted as their guide.
@Geogramatt, my friend claimed that the expressway was now complete. However, I'll take your word that it isn't - though when was the last time you traveled along it? BTW Hekou express buses always take the expressway - they only get off where there is no more expressway left. In 2011, this was from south of Shilin (石林) to north of Mengzi. Once in Mengzi, the expressway goes all the way to the outskirts of Hekou.
So if the expressway is indeed still incomplete, my advice is to take the train to Mengzi (4 hours) then an express bus to Hekou (1.5-2 hours). The last two times I went (in either direction) on a direct bus through to Hekou the non-expressway sections have been slow due to accidents, including a 3-hour wait once due to an accident and on the way back, 45 mins.
Good information AlexKMG, although my experience with the train station at Lao Cai was that staff could speak some limited English, enough to get by and assuming you arrive in time for train departures, you'll be able to buy a ticket (or you could always buy one through a local hotel or restaurant). It is generally sufficient to show up at the train station and book tickets for same day travel there, except during peak periods such as Tet, Labour Day in May and other Vietnamese holidays.
If you want to catch an overnight sleeper so you can arrive in Hanoi early morning on day 2, then leave Kunming on the earliest bus to Hekou or take the only daily train to Mengzi, get off and then catch a Hekou bound bus. However, now that the expressway is apparently 100% complete between Kunming and Hekou, the direct bus would be faster and more convenient.
I agree that there may not be anywhere to buy Vietnamese train tickets in Hekou, but there is little need if you are just passing through anyway - you can get off the bus from Kunming or Mengzi and be at the Lao Cai train station in literally 15 mins - the border crossing is fast and efficient, on both sides.
Perhaps you could email a Vietnamese travel agent to book tickets for you and then bring them to you in Lao Cai, otherwise I wouldn't know how else to take care of your tickets before you arrive.
Eating is far better in Lao Cai than Hekou - there is a big difference. There are plenty of western style restaurants and English speaking staff in Lao Cai, especially near the train station as well as good local food - in Hekou there's probably not a single western or Vietnamese style restaurant and the food scene is shite. Always cross over to Lao Cai as soon as possible and never linger in Hekou, it's boring and the food scene is non-existant.
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Yuxi-Mengzi: China's newest railway
Posted byThe article mentions the planned "Kunming-Laos-Thailand" railway. My understanding is that line has been delayed numerous times and it is currently unclear if construction has already begun or when it will begin. Even if it has, as the author of this article eludes to, it does not necessarily mean that once it reaches the Lao border that it will be able to continue inside the country. I suspect that if things don't go according to plan, then at least there will be a line down to Jinghong as that won't be affected by any change of plans.
And as for an extension into Thailand, this would be even further off. The current government there has not made a commitment to using Chinese technology to build the Thai line - in fact, recent announcements suggest that initially, there won't even be a link to Nong Khai on the Thai-Lao border, connecting to the Kunming-Vientiane line, but rather, only a Bangkok-Phitsanulok line (which is part of the Bangkok-Chiang Mai line) and Bangkok-Nakorn Ratchaseema (less than half way to Nong Khai) and also a Bangkok-Pattaya-Rayong line. Only the second line would connect to the Kunming-Laos line, but according to the Thai government's plans, this would be many years off as the Bangkok-Pattaya line is the first one likely to be constructed.
Of course this article is about the newly opened Yuxi-Mengzi line, but I just wanted to point out that in the absence of any definitive news on the Kunming-Laos line, I wouldn't jump to conclusions about anything happening on that line so far. Even the Vientiane Times, which has talked about progress on this project in the past has had very little to say since last October, when it claimed a new agreement on this line was reached with China.
Kunming to offer visa-free transit stays
Posted by@bluppfisk, as clearly indicated in the article and the replies, you must be in transit to a third country not on a simple return ticket. For example, Hong Kong via Kunming to Kathmandu, Seoul via Kunming to Kolkata or Bangkok via Kunming to Mandalay. In the latter case, a stopover in Kunming would only make sense if you really had business to do in Kunming, but this new visa-free transit stay will allow you to enter China via Kunming for a short period without needing to apply for a visa. As more destinations are added to Kunming's airport, it will become more attractive as a stopover destination. Rumours suggest that next year, Sydney will be served by a direct flight from Kunming, which would mark the first non-stop, direct flight from Kunming to an intercontinental destination. If this happens, then flying via Kunming to say, Kolkata, Mandalay, Yangon or Kathmandu, all destinations not served from Australia and generally few other non-regional cities will open up another option to stopover in Kunming for some travellers.
Kunming to offer visa-free transit stays
Posted byThe problem with this policy is it is too limited. China is trying to woo international travelers to it's shores this way by promoting a 3-day stopover, but the problem is that compared to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and even Hong Kong SAR, all of which offer lengthy visa-free stays of at least 30 days and up to 90 days for some nationalities, China's policy is so limited in scope and the requirements are so specific that many would be travelers under this policy are likely to give China a miss. Indeed for any trip from Australia to Europe for example, I would always fly either via Thailand or Singapore and would never consider China as a stopover, even with attractive airfares.
While Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou can get some traffic under these rules since they are hubs for airlines such as Air China, China Eastern and China Southern, respectively, with the exception of Hainan Airlines which also has a second hub in Beijing, very few other airlines and no foreign airlines use any mainland Chinese cities as transit hubs for their flights from say, Australia or SE Asia to Europe - indeed, there is no need and previous stringent visa requirements made such plans unlikely to ever be implemented. Even under the current terms, Virgin Atlantic is much better off using Hong Kong as a transit stop on it's Sydney to London flight, for example. This is in addition to Cathay Pacific and previously Qantas, which now uses Dubai as it's transit hub.
The policy would be much better implemented if the requirements were: must only be in possession of a round-trip ticket say Kuala Lumpur-Guangzhou-Kuala Lumpur, Sydney-Shanghai-Sydney or Los Angeles-Beijing-Los Angeles or even Sydney-Shanghai-Melbourne, rather than an onward ticket to another destination and a 1 or 2 week visa free period were implemented instead, even if it only allows limited travel in the same province or 1-2 adjacent provinces.
In the case of Kunming, it is highly unlikely that there would be a reasonable number of travelers using the policy for onward travel, since few airlines use Kunming as a hub - a traveler flying from say Bangkok to Seoul could use Kunming as a transit stop under this policy flying China Eastern but this would be rather inconvenient as direct, non-stop flights would be far cheaper (besides, there are like half a dozen operators flying the route anyway) - I don't think there would be any good deals available for flying via Kunming either, maybe via Shanghai but definitely not Kunming, which would likely require the purchase of 2 separate tickets. For all other possible combinations, separate tickets would need to be purchased thus driving up ticket costs and making Kunming an unattractive hub, unless the government and airlines can work together to implement a more attractive policy.
Still, I think if the implementation of this policy is a step towards some kind of future visa-free travel policy for foreign travelers, then bring it on. However, China would be wise to learn from the examples of the SE Asian countries (including Hong Kong SAR) I have mentioned, as they have earned billions of dollars in valuable foreign exchange from their open visa policies.
Airport temper tantrum lands Yunnan official in prison
Posted byThanks Dazzer, but irrespective of who you are, if you commit a crime you need to be held accountable. This guy could have said he is the most powerful person in China, that doesn't make it so, it's all hearsay. Most people wouldn't recognize him for anything other than his behavior. Of course, in this instance he was arrested, but I think it was disturbing that it took longer than the length of this video for that to happen - bystanders just watched him destroy thousands of dollars worth of property. Half the damage could have been avoided if he was pinned down more quickly. The thing is, people like this guy represent security threats. Of course, it's better this happened on the ground than in the air, because I can assure you that nobody would have let this guy have a tantrum up in the air - he would have been pinned down quite quickly.
Airport temper tantrum lands Yunnan official in prison
Posted byWhat I don't understand is why this guy wasn't immediately pinned down by officers at the first moment he smashed a computer. Instead, everyone including the police just watched, behind the safety of a line. I can guarantee you in virtually every other country on Earth, the second someone destroys even the smallest airport property, half a dozen police or security officers will come and make an arrest. I didn't see any evidence of an arrest even at the end of the video, more than 2 minutes after Yan smashed the first computer.
I used to be told that if you do even the smallest bad thing in China such as stealing a loaf of bread, you'll be immediately arrested and locked up almost indefinitely. It seems that those people who told me those things were quite wrong - it seems like you can do almost anything before you actually get arrested.