Entrance to Dong Dang , Vietnam border checkpoint
Ping Xiang , China border checkpoint
Train passing some rural townships
Leaving Pingxiang at 6.15am , the train made the next stop at Chongzuo town with local passengers alighting to different coaches with hard seats . This is the only train for the day to Nanning and the most convenient transportation mode between Chongzuo and Nanning .
At day break , one can see the quiet country side with farm land and villagers as the train moved towards Nanning . There is also marked difference on the standard of the track ’ s management compared to Vietnam and the buffer between the track and the vegetation are sufficiently wide for safety reasons .
As the train approached Nanning city , there is a marked change in landscape with sights of modern housing , industrial clusters and high-rise buildings appearing gradually .
Finally the train reached Nanning at 10.10am and all passengers and staff had to alight and head to the station ’ s terminal building . There is an electronic signboard indicating Nanning station with a welcoming message .
At the terminal , passengers departing from Hanoi would go through a special lane since they were using paper tickets . Domestic passengers using plastic tickets enter via an automatic gate .
In all , the journey took 14 hours departing Hanoi at 9.20 pm and arriving at Nanning at 10.10am the following day . To compare , the cross-border coach service only takes eight hours from Hanoi to Nanning by special bus using new highways and require less time for immigration clearance .
In all , it was a smooth , clean and comfortable train ride . Security was good with attendant guards and efficient border clearance procedures .
As the train approached Nanning , there is marked change of skyline with high rise and modern housing
Nanning station
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