Hanoi-Nanning direct international trains will begin operating on January 1st, 2009 with one trip from Vietnam's capital Hanoi to Nanning City in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and one from Nanning to Hanoi. The trains will be operated by the Nanning Railway Bureau, said Chen Boshi, the bureau's director.

Chief of the Vietnam Railways Corporation's Transport Business Department, Nguyen Huu Tuyen, said the tourist train, with six luxurious carriages, will depart from the Gia Lam Railway Station in Hanoi to Nanning, China. Trains have been equipped with air conditioners and modern facilities provided by the Chinese side.

Hanoi-Nanning trains will stop at six stations, including three in Vietnam, namely Gia Lam, Bac Giang and Dong Dang in Lang Son province. The train will leave Gia Lam Station at 8:25pm and arrive in Nanning at 10:05am the next day. The train from Nanning will start at 6:15pm and arrive at Gia Lam station at 7:00am the next day. The train will stop at the Vietnam-China border gate for three hours for entrance-exit procedures.

The new Nanning-Hanoi trains will run once per day, which will expedite the flow of passengers and goods between two countries. Each train has six soft sleeper cabins and one hard sleeper cabin, its capacity is 249 passengers. The exact train number is not clear now.

Hanoi-Nanning train fare, according to Tuyen, is at the same level with other international trains. US$43 for soft sleeper for per ticket, US$27 for hard sleeper for per ticket. (If you want to book, please contact us.)

Previously, Vietnam opened a railway route from Hanoi to Yunnan, China but this route was closed when China stopped using meter-wide railroads.

As the cooperation between China and ASEAN is deepening, the increasing flow of goods and passengers between China and Vietnam prompts more convenient and efficient traffic. At present, there is a direct train running between Beijing and Hanoi, which is an extension service of the Beijing-Nanning train, with only two temporary passenger trains (only 3 carriages) heading for Hanoi daily. The traffic capacity is so limited that it can not handle the mounting passenger flow.

The Nanning Railway Bureau has selected 104 capable conductors to serve the international trains. They will receive training in etiquette, Vietnamese language and the disciplines related to foreign affairs. The regular passenger route would alleviate high demand from Vietnam's businessmen, laborers and students in Guangxi.