Travel BY TRAIN between China and Vietnam

[ngythanh]

We would like to make a "stop-n-go" trip BY TRAIN from China to

Vietnam. We confronted many different replies by Chinese Travel

Agencies in Beijing saying that NO such train running from Kunming

(China) to Lao-Cai (Vietnam) as shown in Mr. Luong�s photo [

http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/misc-

china/picture.chin4949.html ].

 

Searching in the Railroad�s websites in both countries, they say YES

[ http://www.passplanet.com/China/sw/trains_yunnan.htm and

http://vietnamtourism.com/update_info/useful_reading/e_info/giaothong

/border_cro/fr_cros.htm ] .

 

We read http://www.photo.net/china/ and

http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/kunming/kunming.html and

obtained good advice but still need some help here.

 

Suggestions and advice from anyone who had a similar plan or is

planning such a trip are fully appreciated.

[ngythanh]

***SORRY: I posted my question as PLAIN TEXT and it came out with errors. Let me try again with HTML*********

 

We would like to make a "stop-n-go" trip BY TRAIN from China to Vietnam. We confronted many different replies by Chinese Travel Agencies in Beijing saying that NO such train running from Kunming (China) to Lao-Cai (Vietnam) as shown in Mr. Luong�s photo [ http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/misc- china/picture.chin4949.html ].

 

Searching in the Railroad�s websites in both countries, they say YES [ http://www.passplanet.com/China/sw/trains_yunnan.htm and http://vietnamtourism.com/update_info/useful_reading/e_info/giaothong /border_cro/fr_cros.htm ] .

 

 

We read http://www.photo.net/china/ and http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/china/kunming/kunming.html and obtained good advice but still need some help here.

 

 

Suggestions and advice from anyone who had a similar plan or is planning such a trip are fully appreciated.

[rich815]

Forget the Beijing travel agencies. They say no since they probably cannot make a commission from such a trip and want you to book a flight with them. I lived in Kunming from 1996 to 2000 and did the trip three times from Kunming to Lao Cai (and eventually onward to Hanoi) and twice back to Kunming again. Great trip. Last I did it you needed to get off on the Chinese side, cross the bridge by foot and go through customs and immigration on the Lao Cai side but heard that that was to change with eventually immigration checks in the train. No biggie really as I HIGHLY recommend you get off at Lao Cai and arrange to get up to Sapa for a couple days at least. Awesome photo ops to be had there, especially if you hire a guide to hike into the hills and visit the smaller villages as well. <p> Have fun. I miss my times in China and Vietnam and I am insanely jealous.<div></div>

[rich815]

<p>

...sigh....<p>You now have me diggiing through my images from my trips there....<p>Here's another.<div></div>

[ngythanh]

Richard: You have lived 4 years in Kunming, made several trips across the border and visited Sapa. So far, you rated 824 pictures of others but only uploaded ONE of your pictures to public.

 

QUESTION: Where is your B&W folder for H'mong people from Sapa, Vietnam?

Please be fair to share with us. Thanks.

[rich815]

Thanh, I used to have a whole load of images on this site. Only one left is my Photo of the Week image which they made impossible for me to delete. And the vast majority of my ratings were done before they "re-did" the range of ratings, changing, IMO, the entire definiton and thrust of my ratings. I actually meticulously deleted every one of my ratings as I feel the ratings re-do and attitude about the ratings system had changed dramatically. I guess a whole bunch of other people did the same and the powers that be did not like it so they unilaterally un-deleted everyone's ratings and made it impossible to delete them anymore. I still like to participate here for the forums and discussions but choose not to participate at all practically in the photo critique and ratings game. But that's a story for another time.....<p>

 

 

A few of my other shots from that time are here, <a href="http://not.contaxg.com/folder.php?id=40">http://not.contaxg.com/folder.php?id=40</a> and a couple shots here, <a href="http://www.shuttercity.com/ShowPhoto.cfm?PhotoID=11769">http://www.shuttercity.com/ShowPhoto.cfm?PhotoID=11769</a> and here <a href="http://www.shuttercity.com/ShowPhoto.cfm?PhotoID=13700">http://www.shuttercity.com/ShowPhoto.cfm?PhotoID=13700</a>. <p>But to be honest there's a few reasons many shots from that time are not posted. One, I was not overly proud of my photographic talents then. Two, I use an entirely different system now with which I feel I take better photos so I've been more centered on my more recent photography. Three, I did not start digitizing and uploaded my images until a bit after my time there so most of my negs/slides from that time frame are in binders waiting for me to re-visit and scan them. Four, by far the most photos I took during my trips to Vietnam were on a photo assignment for a Bangkok book publisher doing a book on minority cultures of northern Vietnam and Yunnan province, China. Of the perhaps 90 rolls I shot for these assignments I sent the undeveloped rolls off to them, they kept the ones they wanted and sent me back the "culls". So the only ones I have are the culls. Sad thing is this is right around the time of the Asian financial crisis and from what I heard the series of books never even got published after all. And I lost contact with this guy so I have no idea what happened to my images. In retrospect I wish I had arranged for limited use and retention of ownership of all the slides and negs but I was simply hired for shoots off and on, they provided travel expenses and all the film and paid me pretty handsomely. Some of my culls I sort of like so I can only wonder which ones they kept (it averaged about 4-5 frames per roll). Oh well, such is life....

[ngythanh]

You have well done something that I am planning to do.

Actually, I failed to book a trip by train from China to Lao Cai ( as mentioned), so I take a 4-day tours to Beijing in June. After that, I will stay 2 days on my own (walking into the crowd) and fly down to Ha-Noi. I will be in Sapa the Sunday June 20, especially at the Bac-Ha Weekly Market. The rest of the trip will be around Hue (where I am from).

For HUE, I had a dream, and also a plan � a photographic plan. I am considering to discuss it with you in the near future, to see if you are interested in.

For now, I appreciate your rich info about the area I am looking into. If you agree, I will stay in touch via direct emails to not bother others in this forum.

 

Regards,

[rich815]

Hello, feel free to email privately to discuss more. I am moving house this week so may be a bit "unplugged" for a few days however. Hanoi is wonderful. I love that place. Huge contrast to Saigon. More "small" town feel to the city. Architecture is wonderful there. The Bah Ca market is unbelieveable. Bring lots of rich, color film for that. The colors of the clothes from the various peoples is simply awesome. Hue is also great----I mean, the whole country is great! It's why I spent over a month there twice! I could go on and on........<div></div>

[rich815]

one more from Bah Ca...<div></div>

[m_.]

Richard: These are amazing pictures. Love the first one the most.

 

These is a trian going from China to Vietnam, for sure. There are also many buses going from places to places in the region but sure less convenient and more time consuming but a lot more fun as well. Just go and enjoy the trip.

[ngythanh]

Thank You both, Richard and Wentong.

 

Richard: The correct name for the market is BAC HA (North River). I like the second picture with 3 H'mong boys. And I love the middle one, especially his face and color of his shirt (from the same exposure in your website).

Could you please give me some more suggestion on the timing? I will board the Hanoi-Lao Cai Train Friday evening, June 18th. Where in Sapa should I stay and how to get to the Bac Ha Market from Sapa? I have heard that it is 100km away?. I intend to bring plenty of Fuji Velvia and Astia...

 

 

Wentong:

Please give me some more details & info about your experience in transportation around this area. Will you show us some pictures from this "paradise"?. May I have a tailor shop in Bac Ha Market making for my niece a tradition clothe right on the spot so I could photograph her at the market, or I must have it ready while in Sapa?

 

Any other suggestions are fully appreciated. Have a good day!

[ngythanh]

Richard:

I still look forward to see if you are done with the moving, so I could ask a question about ... "getting off the train on the Chinese side, cross the bridge by foot and go through customs and immigration on the Lao Cai side."

 

I read somewhere in the past about similar info but I could not confirm. Since you are the one who crossed the border at this point several times, I would like to ask for more details:

 

- Do we have to have "multi-entry visa" from both governments to cross the border again and again?

 

- How far the walk is? Any difficulty if we have heavy luggage?

 

- Please give me more details about the train running from Kunming to Lao-Cai.

 

- Do the police and custom and immigrations officers (Chinese & Vietnamese) allow photo taking here?

 

 

Thanks.

[morris_smith]

ngythanh, Please contact psyops@planttel.net as I was in the 7th PSYOP BN in DaNang the same time you were.